United States Coast Guard Pacific Area

Welcome home Coast Guard Cutter Healy crewmembers! On Saturday the crew aboard ...

Welcome home Coast Guard Cutter Healy crewmembers!

On Saturday the crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy returned home to Seattle following their three-month deployment to the Arctic!

The crew deployed to Arctic in support of Coast Guard operations and supported multiple scientific research missions sponsored by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Office of Naval Research.

Healy is the nation’s premiere high-latitude research vessel and is one of the only U.S. military surface vessels that operates in the ice-covered waters of the Arctic. Homeported in Seattle with a permanent crew of 87, Healy is the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest cutter at 420-feet and a displacement of over 16,000 tons.

"During our deployment, we successfully transited 14,000 nautical miles and spent 50 cumulative days above the Arctic Circle, reaching as far north as 81 degrees north latitude,” said Capt. MaryEllen Durley, Healy’s commanding officer. “As the Coast Guard's sole Arctic icebreaker, we forged new relationships, trained new Arctic sailors, and conducted high latitude research that will help forecast the impact of seasonal ice formation critical to maintaining the Arctic maritime domain.”

As the Nation’s primary maritime presence in the Polar Regions, the Coast Guard advances U.S. national interests through a unique blend of polar operational capability, regulatory authority, and international leadership across the full spectrum of maritime governance.

Earlier this year the U.S. Coast Guard released the Arctic Strategic Outlook, reaffirming the service’s commitment to American leadership in the region through partnership, unity of effort, and continuous innovation.

“While we focus our efforts on creating a peaceful and collaborative environment in the Arctic, we’re also responding to the impacts of increased competition in this strategically important region,” said Admiral Karl Schultz, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. “Our continued presence will enable us to reinforce positive opportunities and mitigate negative consequences today and tomorrow.”

#DYK The Coast Guard has been a leader in the Arctic for over 150 years and the sole provider of the nation’s polar icebreaking capability since 1965? 

Presently, the Coast Guard maintains two icebreakers – the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a medium icebreaker, and the Polar Star, the United States' only heavy icebreaker.

While the Healy deploys annually to the Arctic, the 43-year-old Polar Star is the only cutter capable of supporting Operation Deep Freeze, the annual mission to maintain U.S. presence in Antarctica.

If a catastrophic event, such as a shipboard fire or getting stuck in the ice, were to strand the Healy in the Arctic or the Polar Star near Antarctica, the U.S. Coast Guard is left without a self-rescue capability.

By contrast, Russia currently operates more than 50 icebreakers – several of which are nuclear powered.

The Coast Guard is seeking to increase its icebreaking fleet with six new polar security cutters to ensure continued national presence and access to the Polar Regions.

In April, the Coast Guard awarded VT Halter Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi, a contract for the design and construction of the Coast Guard’s lead Polar Security Cutter, which will be homeported in Seattle. The contract also includes options for the construction of two additional PSCs.

“The Polar Security Cutters will support the full range of Coast Guard missions, to include search and rescue, law enforcement, environmental response, and national defense,” said Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area commander. “This investment will enable America to project presence in the Polar Regions.”
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📸’s by PA3 Michael Clark - U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest Public Affairs
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#coastguard #uscg #Healy #arctic #polar #homecoming #home #family #NOAA #icebreaker #knowyourmil #deployment #d13 #pacarea #RTHP

Nothing spooky about logistics 👻🎃👻🎃! How do you get equipment around the gl...

Nothing spooky about logistics 👻🎃👻🎃!

How do you get equipment around the globe? With a little help from our U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) friends at the United States Air Force and a REALLY BIG PLANE!

Members from U.S. Coast Guard MSST LA/LB and aircrews loaded MSST LA/LB’s 29440 - AKA the “Flying 440” into the C5 for global transport.

MSST LA/LB has the capability to load boats, trailers, trucks, people and anything else we’re allowed to fly and make our way to anywhere in the world to support operations at home and abroad!

#DYK The Coast Guard has multiple MSST units located strategically across the country who provide maritime counter-terrorism force protection for shipping, high interest vessels and critical infrastructure? These quick response forces are capable of rapid global deployment through air, ground or by sea. Their multi-mission capability facilitates augmentation for other selected Coast Guard, DoD and Department of Homeland Security missions.

📸’s courtesy of USCG MSST LA/LB 91103's Facebook page. Be sure to follow their page to learn more about the unique capabilities of their unit!

Happy Halloween!

#DYK Coast Guard men and women assigned to Pacific Area units stand the watch ac...

#DYK Coast Guard men and women assigned to Pacific Area units stand the watch across our vast area of responsibility which encompasses six of the seven continents, 71 countries, and more than 74 million square miles of ocean, from the U.S. Western States to Asia, and from the Arctic to Antarctica? We’re extremely thankful for their service, dedication and the sacrifices made by these men and women and their families at home while they’re deployed.

Welcome home to the men and women aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Alert! #ICYMI t...

Welcome home to the men and women aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Alert!

#ICYMI the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alert returned home to Astoria, Oregon, Friday following a two-month multi-mission deployment.

The crew aboard the 50-year-old cutter conducted counterdrug operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, nabbing nearly 4,000 pounds of pure cocaine seized from two separate go-fast vessel interdictions and detained six suspected drug smugglers during the patrol!

The crew participated in LA’s Fleet Week to start to their patrol and hosted three Mexican naval officers who joined Alert for part of their patrol to share lessons learned and to build cohesion between the two sea services.

"I am extremely proud of this crew for doing their part to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets," said Cmdr. Tyson Scofield, Alert’s commanding officer. "The Eastern Pacific Ocean is a challenging environment, especially on a ship that is in her 50th year of service, yet this crew persevered to disrupt the illegal flow of narcotics that fuels instability in Central and South America. The counterdrug mission is as important now as it has ever been, and these brave men and women can return home after a 65-day patrol knowing they made a difference."

Alert’s crew offloaded more than $92 million worth of cocaine Oct.16 in San Diego Oct. 16th before returning home to Oregon. The cocaine offloaded represented a total of four suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions by the crews of the Alert and the Coast Guard Cutters Robert Ward and Seneca who patrolled the same international waters between late July and early October.

Read more about Alert's 65-day 10,700 nautical mile deployment here: bit.ly/Alert2019RTHP

BZ Alert crew, thank you for your hard work!

📸’s by Alert’s crew and PA3 Alexander Gray - U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Southwest pubic affairs staff

A matter of interpretation

A matter of interpretation

Coast Guard Cutter Stratton’s crew conducts DPRK sanctions patrol

Coast Guard Cutter Stratton’s crew conducts DPRK sanctions patrol

USCGC STRATTON WMSL 752 crews along with maritime forces from Japan, Philippines...

USCGC STRATTON WMSL 752 crews along with maritime forces from Japan, Philippines, and the U.S. Navy concluded Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama this week in Puerto Princesa, Philippines!

The week-long exercise involved service members from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Marine Corps training together with Philippine Navy and Sailors from the 防衛省　海上自衛隊　(Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force).

Designed to promote regional security cooperation, MTA Sama Sama strives to maintain and strengthen maritime partnerships and enhance maritime interoperability between the sea-going services.

The exercise included in port and at-sea phases of training. The at-sea portion included Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure drills, division tactics, a search-and-rescue exercise, helicopter deck landing qualifications, anti-air and surface warfare tracking, and vessel of interest tracking.

MTA Sama Sama builds upon other U.S. Navy-led maritime engagements with the Philippines including Pacific Partnership, the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission, Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT), which involves more than a dozen partner nations, Balikatan, ADMM-Plus (Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting Maritime Security Exercise), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX), along with other military engagements and exchanges. These engagements serve to enhance information sharing and coordination and support long-term regional cooperation.

The crew aboard the Stratton deployed from their homeport in Alameda, California in June for a months-long deployment to the Western Pacific.

📸’s by PA1 Nate Littlejohn - D17 Public Affairs, deployed

This is not your typical Change of Command ceremony!

This is not your typical Change of Command ceremony!

Welcome home U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley!

Welcome home U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley!

Today’s #travelTuesday takes us to El Salvador where Department of Homeland Secu...

Today’s #travelTuesday takes us to El Salvador where Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan recently spent time with the crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf while the cutter was in port!

Bertholf’s crew is currently deployed to the region where they are patrolling known drug transit zones in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard crew is working tirelessly along with our partner agencies during their deployment to stem the flow of illicit narcotics trafficked by cartels who bring violence and instability to the region.

📸’s courtesy of Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan’s twitter page

Where’s your week going to take you? Earlier this month crews aboard the U.S. C...

Where’s your week going to take you?

Earlier this month crews aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf took in lines and pulled away from San Diego, leaving friends, family and safe harbor behind as they began a months-long deployment to combat the flow of drugs by patrolling known drug transit zones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

“Through the interdiction of illicit drugs and the detention of suspected drug smugglers, the Coast Guard disrupts Transnational Criminal Organization networks at sea, over a thousand miles from our shore, where they are most vulnerable. U.S. Coast Guard maritime interdictions weaken the Transnational Criminal Organizations who destabilize our immediate neighbor Mexico, the Central American land corridor, and South American countries,” Admiral Karl Schultz Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard.

Our crews are putting in hard work to protect our freedoms at home and our families, what motivates you?

🎥 by PA1 Patrick Kelley - PADET San Diego U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Southwest

Another legend created! The Coast Guard Cutter Stone, a Legend-Class National S...

Another legend created!

The Coast Guard Cutter Stone, a Legend-Class National Security Cutter, currently under construction by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi, recently transited across the shipyard to the dry dock then launched. Stone is the ninth NSC built by Ingalls Shipbuilding. In December the Coast Guard awarded a fixed-price contract option to Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. for the production of the 10th and 11th National Security Cutters.

There are currently eight commissioned National Security Cutters, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball were commissioned in August and are currently being missionized. The six other NSCs in service, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche, USCGC STRATTON WMSL 752, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter JAMES - WMSL 754, Hamilton and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro have been responsible for interdicting more than 1.4 million pounds of cocaine patrolling the known drug transit zone in the Eastern Pacific. And the numbers climb after each deployment to the region.

U.S. Coast Guard crews patrol known drug transit zones to interdict drugs as the smugglers head toward the United States. New cutters, like the NSCs, enable crews to operate in the region longer to stem the flow of narcotics smuggled by cartels.

“In addition to stopping these drugs from getting to our streets, the information we gather and share with our partners in the Intelligence Community facilitates deeper understanding of Transnational Criminal Organizations and ultimately helps our unified efforts to dismantle them,” said Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant U.S. Coast Guard.

The 418-foot NSCs support maritime homeland security and defense missions and are designed to navigate the most demanding maritime environments. The NSCs feature advanced command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; aviation support facilities; and long-endurance station keeping. Theses cutters are replacing the aging fleet of 378-foot high endurance cutters, which have been in service since the 1960s.

🎥by Huntington Ingalls Industries

...every once in a while someone is out there without hope, desperately praying for their life & we get to be the answer #USCG

I take all the responsibility, all the risks, all the hardships that my office would call upon me to take. Capt Michael Healy, USRCS, 1896

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The #USCG is a shining example of how well a Federal agency can perform with its flexibility, speed, and expertise. Rep Russ Carnahan MO

CGQuote: I do not steer by any man’s compass but my own. -Captain Michael Healy, USRCS, USCGC Bear, 1896 #USCG

CGQuote: Adaptability is synonymous with the operations of the United States Coast Guard.” - Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN #USCG