Station Ketchikan News

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska medevaced a woman from a cruise ship near Ketchikan, according to an official press release.A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan medevaced the 71-year-old passenger displaying stroke symptoms and brought her to awaiting EMS in Bar Harbor, Ketchikan.Coast Guard watchstanders in the Sector Juneau command center received the request for the medevac from the cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam at about 9 p.m.The Coast Guard boat crew met up with the cruise ship in Revillagigado Channel where the patient, her husband and a medical attendant were brought aboard and transported…

A new batch of response boats have been delivered to U.S. Coast Guard stations in Alaska this summer as part of the service's initiative to replace older vessels that have reached the end of their planned service life.The five new 29-foot Response Boat-Smalls, also known as Response Boat-Small IIs, were constructed by Louisiana boatbuilder Metal Shark Aluminum Boats and delivered to the Coast Guard's 17th District starting in May.Station Ketchikan received two new boats May 17…

The Coast Guard is searching for two men reported overdue from a boating trip near Ketchikan Sunday. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk crews and Coast Guard Station Ketchikan 45-foot Response Boat - Medium crews are conducting search patterns on the southern end of Gravina Island. An Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk crew located a 16-foot skiff belonging to the missing capsized north of the intended route in Blank Inlet on Gravina Island at approximately 9:45 a.m. Sunday. The crew of the good Samaritan fishing vessel Storm Rage righted the skiff and is towing it back to Ketchikan. Alaska State Troopers have activated the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad to assist with shoreline searches. The Coast Guard Cutter Maple is expected to arrive on scene Monday morning.

The Coast Guard assisted a 26-year-old woman from Metlakatla, Alaska, who was reported to have fallen out of her canoe and swam to shore near Tongass Narrows, Sunday. A Station Ketchikan 25-foot Response Boat – Small crew picked up the survivor and transferred to her family in Annette Bay. Coast Guard Station Ketchikan watchstanders were notified by Ketchikan Police Department that a woman had fallen out of her canoe near South Pennock Island in Tongass Narrows and was able to make it to shore but was stranded. The watchstanders informed Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders and dispatched the RB-S crew who safely retrieved the woman. “The young lady had her lifejacket on which probably saved her life,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob Rupert, crewmember aboard the RB-S.

A Coast Guard boatcrew from Station Ketchikan assisted two boaters after their 15-foot vessel became disabled near Ketchikan, Sunday. The boatcrew safely transferred the boaters to the Coast Guard vessel and took the disabled vessel in tow before transporting them to Knuduson Cove. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Juneau were notified by the Ketchikan Police Department after they received a call from one of the boaters that their vessel had been swamped by waves and became disabled. Station Ketchikan immediately launched a Response Boat – Small crew to assist. “The boaters went out without a radio or GPS, but were fortunate enough to make an emergency call to the Ketchikan Police Department with a weak cell phone signal,” said Lt. j.g.

A U.S. Coast Guard Station Ketchikan 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew medevaced a diabetic 59-year-old male suffering from seizure like symptoms aboard the tug vessel Pacific Ocean, near Ketchikan, Alaska Tuesday evening. The Coast Guard crew rendezvoused with the 117-foot tug vessel 19 miles south of Ketchikan, safely brought the man aboard and transferred him to local emergency medical services in Ketchikan for further medical care. Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received the request for medevac from the master of the tug vessel. The duty flight surgeon was contacted and concurred with the need for the medevac. “This case illustrates the preparedness of our small boat station crewmembers,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew Powers, a watchstander at Sector Juneau.

Coast Guard boarding teams from the Coast Guard cutter Naushon and Coast Guard Stations Ketchikan and Juneau terminated the voyages of two fishing vessel and intercepted an intoxicated boater in Southeast. A Coast Guard cutter Naushon boarding team conducted a random safety boarding aboard the 32-foot fishing vessel Tsunami, based out of Seattle, Saturday in Clarence Strait. During the boarding it was discovered that the vessel had the correct number of survival suits onboard but two of them were unserviceable. The crew of the Naushon terminated the vessel’s voyage for safety reasons and escorted them to Nichol’s Passage where the Naushon was relieved by the 47-foot motor lifeboat and crew from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan who escorted the Tsunami’s crew into Ketchikan.

Law enforcement officers from USCGC Mustang terminated an F/V's voyage in Prince William Sound, after they discovered safety violations aboard the vessel. The USCG cited Sheelagh M's captain for several violations, including: Not having immersion suits for the four people aboard his vessel; not having the required number of fire extinguishers; and having a cracked life-ring buoy. Also, enforcement officers from USCG Station Ketchikan terminated vessel Cape Fairweather because of safety violations. Boaters in the downtown Ketchikan area called the USCG to report the vessel being operated negligently. Cape Fairweather is a 49-ft. purse seiner from Ketchikan. The Station Ketchikan boat crew located the F/V at a Ketchikan fuel dock and conducted boarding on it.

Michael Carthew, President, Chevron Texaco Shipping and Dean Taylor, President and CEO, Tidewater Marine were elected to the ABS Board of Directors, by the ABS Council, following yesterday's Annual Members Meeting of the classification society in New York. General Dynamics announced the appointment of John F. "Dugan" Shipway, 60, as president of Bath Iron Works, reporting to Michael W. Toner, executive vice president of General Dynamics Marine Systems group. Shipway succeeds Allan C. Cameron, 57, who has announced his retirement. Cameron had been president of Bath Iron Works since 1996. Edwin W. Stephan, a founder and former longtime president and vice chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., will retire from the Board of Directors following the company's May 20 annual meeting in Miami.

Secure Around Flotation Equipped (SAFE) Boat 256610 will be officially dedicated to use by United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Seward on May 17. The 10 a.m. ceremony at the Seward Boat Harbor south boat ramp in Alaska will includ music by the Air Force Band of the Pacific brass quintet and followed by orientation rides on the vessel and tours of the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Mustang. The 25-ft. vessel, formerly assigned to Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, was delivered in August 2002 to AUXSTA Seward. The SAFE boat, like its sister vessel SAFE Boat 256611 assigned to the Auxiliary in Whittier, will primarily serve in a 40-mile radius from Seward, supporting the Coast Guard in search and rescue. Both boats are owned by the U.S.