Cutter Maple News

The 20-year-old U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Elm is scheduled to make its way to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore this month for a planned major dry dock overhaul. The cutter’s departure from Atlantic Beach, N.C. will mark its last from its current homeport. After the overhaul work is completed, the Elm will report to a new homeport in Astoria, Oregon. Coast Guard Cutter Maple, which is presently undergoing a midlife overhaul of its own, will replace the Elm in Atlantic Beach this April.

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 is responding to the sinking of a fishing vessel in Kelp Bay near Sitka Friday. Coast Guard personnel from Sector Juneau, the Coast Guard Cutter Maple and Air Station Sitka examined the scene of the sunken 49-foot fishing vessel Sierra Allene and are working with the vessel's owner to mitigate the situation. Watchstanders from the Sector Juneau command center received a radio call from the crew of the fishing vessel Irish when they discovered a portion of the Sierra Allene jutting out of the water. The vessel's owner reported the Sierra Allene has approximately 600 gallons of diesel fuel on board. “The Coast Guard is working with stakeholders and the owner to resolve the situation and protect nearby sensitive areas,” said Ens.

The US Coast Guard Cutter 'Maple' helps the U.S. Geological Survey to deploy 12 seismic sensors along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault, northwest of Craig, Alaska. The team placed the ocean-bottom seismometers along a 28-mile section of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault to improve understanding of recent earthquake activity and associated seismic and tsunami hazards in Southeast Alaska coastal communities. “The Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault is similar to the northern San Andreas fault, with the same earthquake potential,” said Dr.

On Saturday, December 16, Marinette Marine Corporation launched the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple (WLB-207), the seventh ship in a series of sixteen Seagoing Buoy Tenders being built by the company. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple is a 225-ft seagoing buoy tender that will be home-ported in Sitka, Alaska. The cutter will sail under the command of Lieutenant Commander Matt Creelman and carry a complement of six officers and thirty-four enlisted personnel. Maple will join her sister cutters, now operating in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These cutters form a new fleet of the most technically advanced and highly capable buoy tenders ever operated by the Coast Guard.

The Manitowoc Company's Marinette Marine subsidiary launched the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple on December 16, 2000. Maple is the seventh ship in a series of 16 seagoing buoy tenders being built by Marinette. The launch ceremony, which was attended by a number of dignitaries, included Fran Ulmer, the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, who gave the keynote speech and formally christened Maple, as well as Rear Admiral Thomas J. Barrett, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District. "The launching of a seagoing vessel is a spectacular sight," said Terry D. Growcock, Manitowoc's president and chief executive officer. "The launch of Maple is particularly exciting for us as it represents Marinette's first launch as a part of The Manitowoc Company.

The Coast Guard was ready to assist a 670-ft.- container ship after the vessel experienced an electrical fire Sunday evening. The CSX Expedition, transiting from Tacoma to Anchorage, experienced a switchboard fire leaving it disabled and adrift. The CSX Expedition is 180 miles southwest of Sitka and 140 miles from nearest land. None of the 27-crewmembers on board suffered any injuries. The ship is carrying general refrigerated cargo. The crew is actively working to repair the ship and sail again. If the crew can’t repair the ship, a commercial vessel will depart port today at 9 a.m. to tow the ship to shore. The Coast Guard cutter Maple, Air Station Sitka and Air Station Kodiak are standing by ready to assist the mariners if needed.

A Coast Guard cutter Maple boarding team terminated a fishing vessel’s voyage due to unserviceable safety equipment Thursday. The fishing vessel Duna, a 36-foot vessel from Seldovia, was in the vicinity of Yakutat when a Coast Guard boarding team conducted a safety and law enforcement boarding. The boarding team members discovered that the vessel’s life raft had expired inspection tags. The Maple then escorted the vessel to Yakutat where it will remain until a serviceable life raft is placed on board. Whenever a vessel's voyage is terminated, the vessel’s movements are restricted until the owner is able to correct all of the discrepancies.