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U.S. Coast Guard Seventeenth District

 PHOTO ESSAY

ARCTIC OCEAN - On Aug. 22 the crew of the 378-foot Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton departed Dutch Harbor to conduct the first Coast Guard safety and security patrol in the Arctic by a high endurance cutter.

The two week patrol took the Hamilton north through the Bering Strait and into the unfamiliar maritime environment of the Arctic Ocean.  High endurance cutters are no stranger to the Bering Sea, where they conduct fisheries, homeland security and search and rescue missions year round in extreme weather. 

As climate change continues to expose more water during the summer months, ships are entering American Arctic waters. As maritime traffic and interest increases in this part of the world, the Coast Guard's missions are expanding to meet the need. 

To better prepare, the Coast Guard is examining its role in the Arctic by sending a variety of assets into the region to test Coast Guard missions and operational capabilities.

As part of the on going examination of the Arctic, the Hamilton performed many firsts for a high endurance cutter. During the deployment the crew carried out an Arctic Homeland Security patrol, participated in a search and rescue drill and boarded a fishing vessel in Arctic waters. 

While operating off the North Slope the Hamilton faced many challenges specific to the Arctic. Pack ice was the number one threat to the cutter. The hulls of most Coast Guard ships are not designed to withstand impact with large chunks of sea ice common in Arctic waters. This required extra vigilance by the Hamilton's crew. The Hamilton is based out of San Diego, California.

ABOVE:  A landing safety officer guides a Kodiak-based HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew down to the landing pad on the aft portion of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton Aug. 30, 2008. The 65 crew met the Hamilton  in the Bering Sea as they made their way to the Arctic. This deployment for the helicopter crews is called known as Alaska Patrol.  [ View High Resolution ]

LEFT:  Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery Schoknecht, a gunners mate from the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, climbs down a Jacob's ladder to an awaiting small boat as the crew prepares to board a fishing vessel for the first time in Arctic waters Sept. 1, 2008. The boat helped the fishing vessel by bringing a machinery technician to inspect the engines after the fishing vessel had engine trouble. A challenge of the Arctic to mariners is the lack of infrastructure to assist them. Vessels must be able to make their own repairs and carry enough supplies as they are alone in this part of the world. [ View High Resolution ]

RIGHT: Petty Officer 1st Class Jessica Young, a boatswains mate from the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, skillfully maneuvers a small boat alongside the Coast Guard Cutter SPAR as part of a search and rescue drill Aug. 31, 2008. The small boat transferred a health services specialist and some machinery technician to help the SPAR as part of the drill. The Coast Guard is examining mass casualty rescue operations in the far north after the sinking of a cruise ship in the Antarctic in 2007. During this exercise the SPAR represented a small cruise ship that had stuck ice and was sinking. [ View High Resolution ]

RIGHT:  Crew members of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton stand watch on the bridge of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton as Canadian Coast Guard Captain Victor Gronmyr looks on at the activities Aug.t 31, 2008. The United States is just one of several Arctic nations concerned with the increase of vessel traffic in the region. Gronmyr, who has served aboard vessels in the Arctic, offered insight to the crew of the Hamilton during the transit of the Arctic. [ View High Resolution ]

BOTTOM RIGHT: The native village of Little Diomede sits on the border of Russia and the United States Aug. 29, 2008. The small island is positioned a mile and a half away from Big Diomede, the Russion island. Family and friends from native villages on both islands have continued to stay in contact over the years. [ View High Resolution ]

BELOW:  Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew Lotz stands outside of the Kodiak-based HH-65 Dolphin on the sandy beaches of the northern most point in the United States as Lt. Patrick Lineberry checks the equipment in the Dolphin Aug. 30, 2008. [ View High Resolution ]

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