Coast Guard District 17

We serve and safeguard the public, protect the environment and its resources, and defend the Nation’s interests in the Alaskan maritime region.

The United States Coast Guard is a military, multi-mission, maritime service within the Department of Homeland Security and is one of the nation's five armed services.

The Coast Guard protects the public, the environment, and U.S. economic and security interests in America's ports and inland waterways, along its 95,000 miles of coastlines, throughout its 3.4 million square miles of exclusive economic zones, and in any maritime region in which those interests may be at risk.

The service has five fundamental roles: Maritime Security, National Defense, Maritime Safety, Protection of Natural Resources and Maritime Mobility. All of these are conducted in Alaska on a grand scale.

Semper Paratus!

Alex Haley sailors earn Arctic Service Medal for recent patrol

On a cold and rainy November day in Kodiak Capt. Michael Inman, Coast Guard 17th District Response Chief, made the trip from Juneau to present the crew with the Arctic Service Medal on board the Alex Haley at the Coast Guard pier in Kodiak.

The crew assembled on the flight deck in their rank and file by department. The Air Station Kodiak personnel that were deployed as an aviation detachment with an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter during the patrol were included too.

Following the official presentation Inman discussed the Arctic mission and emphasized the crew's importance to that mission.

The crew received the medal for serving more than 21 days above the Arctic Circle on their most recent patrol on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. The unit crossed 66:33'N latitude line at 0200 on Sept. 11, 2009 and remained north of 66:33'N until crossing again at 0300 on Oct. 2, 2009. They are the only medium endurance cutter in the fleet to have earned the medal.

They'll be underway again soon!

Coast Guard aviator Lt. Sean Krueger serves tour in England and receives prestigious British award

Lt. Sean Krueger returned this spring from a tour among Britain's naval airmen. During his time there he was the aircraft commander on "Rescue 193", an H3 Sea King helicopter, resulting in the rescue of a fisherman suffering from a life-threatening abdominal injury. The man was rescued from a fishing vessel 172 miles southwest of the Isles of Scilly in the Atlantic Ocean in 58 mph winds and seas of more than 40 feet.

Krueger (second from the right) and his crew were awarded the prestigious Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue Award presented by the British Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators at their annual Trophies and Awards Banquet in London Oct. 29.

Krueger is currently serving as an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter pilot and the administrative department head at Coast Guard Air Station Sitka.

I had the opportunity to ask Lt. Krueger about his time abroad representing the Coast Guard and the award and this is what he said:

The Coast Guard has had a pilot exchange with the Royal Navy since the early 1980's. We send someone over to fly SAR in Royal Navy Sea Kings. The Royal Navy sends someone to Miami to fly HH-65's. It's a great program, with lots of good procedural information and rescue techniques changing hands over the years. I was just fortunate enough that the job was open when I was due to rotate. I joined 771 Naval Air Squadron from Air Station Cape Cod in January 2007, and departed for my current tour in Sitka in March of 2009.

It took approximately eight months to complete all the required training, which was quiet difficult. The Royal Navy keeps a very high and aggressive training standard, which took a while to get used to. I was the only American on the squadron, and there was only one other American (USN Pilot) at another squadron on the base, Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose. RNAS Culdrose is located on the southwest tip of England in Cornwall county, about a five hour drive from London.

Living in England was great. The locals were very welcoming. Both my children attended local schools, and both developed very strong English accents! We were able to travel quite a bit as well.

The squadron was very busy, especially with SAR, averaging 300+ cases both years I was there. Most every case required a hoist of some sort, and most were either a "cliff" type rescue, or an off-shore medevac. The weather was very challenging; lots of wind and poor visibility.

As for the rescue...the award citation and the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators page has the details of the case. http://www.gapan.org/about-the-guild/trophies-and-awards/award-winners/the-prince-philip-helicopter-rescue-award/

It was by far the most challenging rescue that I have ever done. There was a distinct point where we considered aborting due to the challenging conditions, however after one last try, we got our guy aboard. We were very disheartened to have the man pass away from his injuries on our way to the hospital given the extreme effort required to get him off the boat. However, we were happy with the fact that we gave him the best chance to make it.

The awards presentation was a great experience. It was held in one of the original Guild Halls in London, a building over 600 years old. The guild can trace their roots back to Roman times. Lots of history. We were one of the final awards presented. The biggest thrill for us was the fact that Captain Charles Sullenberger (US Airways Captain who landed on the Hudson; also an award winner) came up to congratulate us on our award. It should have been the other way around, but so it goes!

We were also awarded the Edward and Maisie Lewis Award for an outstanding air and sea rescue by Shipwrecked Fisherman and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society; that awards presentation was on October 14th. I did not attend that one.

V/R-

LT Sean Krueger

For more on the award see the news release on http://www.uscgalaska.com/ or visit the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators.

Regards,
Sara Francis PA1
CG D17 Public Affairs

Surviving: First Haunted Ship, Then the Wilderness

As the days grew shorter and the leaves turned from green to yellow, the crew of the MAPLE got caught up in the festivities of the creepiest day of the year: October 31st.

In the days leading up to Halloween, the crew worked tirelessly to prepare for the much-loved Haunted Ship event to be held on Friday, October 30. The evening is a favorite for Sitka residents, placing the pressure on the MAPLE crew to deliver a truly frightening experience. Many crewmembers used their personal creativity and constructed their own props for the affair. BM1 Joe Luce, HS1 Deb West, and BM3 Kelly Hogan constructed a life-size electric chair out of plywood and chain scrap, and BMC Richard Wilson, SN Brian Evinger and SN Travis Blackmon stayed long after normal work hours to construct several giant cages to house the "monsters" of the buoy deck. When everything came together, MAPLE transformed from a standard Coast Guard buoy tender to a hauntingly real ghost ship with surprises at every turn...

Despite the crew's enthusiasm, the Sitka weather proved difficult the night of the event. The freezing rain froze hundreds of eager attendees waiting in line, and the gusting wind tore down the graveyard scene on the fantail within 45 minutes of opening the doors. The crew quickly changed the route, unbeknownst to the guests, and delivered a truly memorable evening. From the real pig's head to roaring chain saws and fog machines, MAPLE lived up to the expectations of the town and sent girls running from the ship and children crying for their parents. All the horror, however, was for a good cause. The event brought in over $1300 for charity and hundreds of pounds of non-perishable canned goods were donated to the Salvation Army just in time for the holidays.

After the exhausting five-hour event, everyone went home for a much needed weekend off. However, eight MAPLE crewmembers were unable to truly enjoy the break, because they were off to Survival School early Monday morning. LTJG Chris Bonner, ENS Mary Bitzer, BM1 Aaron Jenkins, BM2 Mike Jenkins, DC3 Danny McDermott, IT3 Michael Frick, SN Tyler Bunker, and SA Aaron Johnson packed up their packs with limited supplies and set off for the wilderness.

Broken up into groups of four, they had to survive on a plot of land for three days and two nights. They constructed shelters from tree branches and plastic tarps and ate raw "delicacies" off the beach at low tide. With rugged instructors Dug and Jim, they learned how to survive in cold weather and live off the land with limited supplies. The exercise proved difficult, as LTJG Bonner lost nine pounds in two days, but with positive attitudes and lots of spirit fingers, everyone made it through successfully.

USCGC MAPLE Returns Home After Outstanding Performance at Training Evaluation

On October 13th the USCGC MAPLE returned to homeport from Tailored Ship’s Training Availability (TSTA) at Naval Station Everett in Washington. TSTA is a demanding three week training and evaluation period that assesses the crew’s ability to respond to various casualties and the onboard training team’s ability to train the crew in proper response actions.

The week before TSTA, twenty seven crewmembers attended a rigorous damage control and firefighting school at the National Readiness Training Center in Bremerton, Washington. For three days, trainees were placed in realistic scenarios where they responded to severe flooding and out-of-control fires. This training helped prepare the crew for the three week casualty-response evaluation period they were about to endure.

The MAPLE hit the ground running upon their arrival in Everett, Washington, shocking the evaluation team with an unheard of zero discrepancies in the pre-evaluation assessment. The MAPLE crewmembers continued to shine as they handled each drill with skill and composure. The three-week evaluation period tested the crew’s ability to respond to fire, flooding, man overboard, loss of navigation equipment, medical, and other damage control casualties. They were also tested on towing evolutions, mooring evolutions, and anchoring evolutions. The MAPLE had a successful finish in all the drills, averaging a score of 96.7% and earning the privilege to wear the Battle E ribbon.

Lieutenant Commander Daniel W. Gray, Commanding Officer of USCGC MAPLE, said that “we are now a stronger ship for having participated in TSTA. When we’re out at sea; it’s just us. I’m confident we’re prepared to combat damage successfully and handle any emergency with proficiency.”

The USCGC MAPLE should be proud of their accomplishments over the past several weeks. They were constantly tested mentally and physically, but focused on their training and worked together as a team. They grew stronger as a crew and stronger as a unit, thus creating a stronger Coast Guard.