Cutter Alex Haley News

The US Coast Guard is continuing to assess a fire reported on the 410-foot general cargo vessel Genius Star XI off Dutch Harbor, Alaska.The vessel is carrying lithium-ion batteries, and the fire started on Christmas Day in cargo hold No. 1. The crew released carbon dioxide into the hold and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.The Coast Guard then diverted the vessel to Dutch Harbor while an HC-130 airplane from Air Station Kodiak and Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley (WMEC-39) were dispatched to assist.The Coast Guard confirmed there are no injuries to the 19 crewmembers.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley returned to homeport at Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska, on Thursday, following an extended seven-month dry dock maintenance period in Seattle.While in dry dock, the crew and contractors successfully completed more than $6 million worth of repairs.The engineering department oversaw 76 work items including major overhauls on the cutter’s controllable pitch propeller system, speed reducers, rudders, and boilers, along with inspections of fuel, sewage, and water tanks.

A man with a broken arm was medevaced from the Chinese research vessel Xue Long, 15 nautical miles from Nome, Alaska, Saturday morning. A smallboat crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley embarked the man and transferred him to the Alex Haley for further transfer to Nome. Coast Guard District 17 command center watchstanders received a relay notification from a Coast Guard liaison to China who reported a Chinese national aboard the Xue Long suffered a broken arm while conducting research in the Arctic Ocean.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley returned to Kodiak Sunday following a successful 70-day deployment patrolling more than 10,800 miles throughout the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. Alex Haley, known as the “Bulldog of the Bering,” departed Kodiak on Dec. 1, 2014, and spent the last 70 days conducting law enforcement and community outreach operations in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. During the deployment, Alex Haley’s crew performed 41 at sea domestic fisheries enforcement boardings and covered more than 5,000 square miles in search efforts for the sunken Korean fishing vessel 501 Oryong. The Alex Haley crew visited Akutan, Alaska, on Dec. 23, 2014. The crew disembarked Santa who delivered warm winter clothes collected by the crew and the base chapel to the community.

Coast Guard search and rescue crews were relieved by Republic of Korea assets on Saturday in their search for 26 crewmembers from the fishing vessel 501 Oryong that capsized Nov. 30, 2014, near Chukotka, Russia, in the Bering Sea. The Coast Guard completed more than 24 searches covering more than 4,576 square miles utilizing two cutters, two helicopters, and multiple airplanes. Coast Guard crews will continue to partner with the Republic of Korea to provide search and rescue planning support. "The sympathies of the Coast Guard go out to those impacted by this tragic maritime loss," said Rear Adm. Dan Abel, commander, Coast Guard 17th District. "To the families of those known to have perished, we grieve with you.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) search and rescue crews were relieved by Republic of Korea assets on Saturday in their search for 26 crewmembers from the fishing vessel 501 Oryong that capsized Nov. 30, 2014, near Chukotka, Russia, in the Bering Sea. The USCG completed more than 24 searches covering more than 4,576 square miles utilizing two cutters, two helicopters, and multiple airplanes. Coast Guard crews will continue to partner with the Republic of Korea to provide search and rescue planning support. Two Republic of Korea Navy P-3 Orion aircraft joined the search for survivors on Dec. 6, 2014.

American rescuers and a Chinese seafarer have been presented with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2013, during a special ceremony held on November 25, 2013 at IMO Headquarters in London. Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Randy J. Haba and Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Daniel J. Todd of the United States Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, were nominated by the Government of the United States…

The 'Kulluk', towed by the 'AHTS Aiviq' has arrived in the safe harbor for assessment of any damage caused by its recent grounding. The Kulluk was refloated from its Ocean Bay position, off Sitkalidak Island, late Jan. 6, and will remain connected to its support vessels while it undergoes assessment in Kiliuda Bay, located about 30 miles north of Ocean Bay. The final location for assessment within the Bay will be determined by environmental conditions, including weather. The Coast…

Aerial and onboard inspections confirm the vessel remains firmly aground & stable on Sitkalidak Island, Alaska, with no sign of leakage of pollutants. Naval architects on the survey team confirm the Kulluk is structurally sound and fit for towing to safe harbor in nearby Kiliuda Bay. The exact timing for potential towing activity is dependent on weather, tides and operational readiness. Once the Unified Command team managing the incident confirms it is safe and ready to move forward, the recovery operation will begin.

Battling the storm a tug and a support vessel succeed in getting lines aboard the abandoned Shell drill rig 'Kulluk'. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley returned to the Kulluk’s location Sunday evening, after repairing their fouled port propeller in Kodiak, and relieved the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Spar as on scene commander. The crews of the response vessels Alert and Aiviq re-established the tow of the Kulluk Monday morning and plan on towing the mobile drill…

Tugboat 'Aiviq' experienced total engine failure, casting it & the Shell drilling rig  'Kulluk' adrift in stong winds & heavy seas, S. of Kodiak Island. The US Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley was sent to assist, establishing a tandem tow of both Aivig and Kulluk, which effectively prevented their drift towards shoal water, then, due to the severe weather the tow-line parted and became entangled in one of the cutter's propellors. The USCG recalled the vessel to base. Meanwhile the Royal Dutch Shell despatched tugboat…

While it seems that half the world is monitoring the oil and gas exploration activities of Royal Dutch Shell (Shell Oil) on the United States outer continental shelf (OCS) in waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the north coast of Alaska, another historic event is occurring in those same waters: Arctic Shield 2012. The US Coast Guard is assembling its largest ever effort in the Arctic during the period July through October 2012. The Coast Guard has been gradually expanding its presence in the Arctic over the past four years.

Fierce Arctic winds and towering 30-foot seas assaulted a 738-foot freighter with 20 crewmembers aboard finding themselves helplessly adrift with limited engine power in the midst of an ice-cold storm 70 miles north of Adak. Trouble loomed on the horizon as they were drifting toward land carrying more than 132,277 pounds of rape seed used to make canola oil, 450,000 gallons of fuel oil and 11,700 gallons of diesel fuel with the only help more than 400 miles away. In the midst of the Golden Seas’ voyage to the United Arab Emirates the crew experienced a turbo-charger failure Dec. 3 2010.

Three people are alive tonight after their 58-foot fishing boat capsized in the Hood Canal near Foul Weather Bluff, forcing them to abandon ship and take refuge onboard their small skiff. The Coast Guard received a call from a nearby pleasure craft shortly after the fishing vessel Martle had capsized. The Kodiak, Ala. based Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, operating in the area, was diverted to the scene and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles was launched to the scene. A Coast Guard patrol boat operating in the area was dispatched and the Alex Haley resumed its original course. A rescue boat from North Kitsap Fire and Rescue also launched to the scene. The master of the vessel, Ed Einarson of Blaine, Wash.

The Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley and crew returned home Wednesday evening following a six-week deployment to Puget Sound, where the crew underwent a challenging period of training and evaluation. The ship first stopped in Seattle, where a large part of the crew completed team firefighting and damage control courses where crewmembers learned fire-fighting techniques and had to control flooding in a tank made to simulate an engineering space on a sinking ship. With almost 60 of the 100-person crew on their first assignment to a ship, the learning curve was steep at times. Following this training the ship sailed north to Naval Station Everett Washington and began a rigorous three-week Tailored Ship’s Training Availability (TSTA).

The motor vessel Selendang Ayu, a 738-foot freighter has run aground and broken in two on the northern shore of Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Island Chain. In addition a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Kodiak crashed last night while evacuating the remaining eight crew members from the Selendang Ayu. The vessel ran aground more than 40-hours after the ship's main engine broke down causing it to drift in high winds and heavy seas. The Coast Guard has rescued 20 of the Selendang Ayu's 26 crewmen. The three Coast Guard crewmen from the Jayhawk and two persons who remained aboard the stricken vessel after the helicopter crashed are safe. Six crewmen from the Selendang Ayu still remain missing.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Coast Guard is conducting a rescue effort right now near Unalaska Island for 10 people who were aboard a Coast Guard helicopter. The helicopter and crew based out of Kodiak were evacuating crewmembers off the grounded freighter Selendang Ayu when it crashed in the ocean during the rescue attempt. Another helicopter from the Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley, which is on scene, picked up four people and have taken them to Dutch Harbor for medical treatment, their condition is unknown. Six people are still unaccounted for. The Selendang Ayu has subsequently broken in two and a Coast Guard rescue swimmer along with the master of the vessel remain on board.

The motor vessel Sea Honesty, a 534-foot Panamanian flagged cargo ship, was guided to Dutch Harbor after reporting engine trouble on its way to Shinizu, Japan, 284 miles west of Dutch Harbor. The Coast Guard North Pacific Search and Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) received a request for assistance from the Sea Honesty. In response to the request, the RCC directed Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley to accompany the vessel to Dutch Harbor for repairs. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage then coordinated with the ship's agent Mitsui O.S.K. Lines LTD, Alaska Marine Pilots, and the city of Dutch Harbor to ensure adequate response resources were available. The Sea Honesty was safely moored in Dutch Harbor.