The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard’s 1960’s era high endurance cutter Morgenthau returned home from a 90-day 15,000 mile patrol supporting fisheries enforcement and serving as a search and rescue asset during the busy Alaska fishing seasons.
Morgenthau operated in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska and participated in community relations events in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Much of Mogenthau’s patrol was interspersed with search and rescue cases and towing operations. One case involved a cattle transport vessel reported overdue during a severe storm near Unalaska Island. After arriving on-scene Morgenthau’s crew located the vessel taking shelter in a nearby inlet. The ship and crew were safe from harm, but had lost contact due to the storm.
An additional case occurred nearly 400 miles south of Dutch Harbor, when a 400-foot cargo ship BBC Colorado became disabled while in transit across the Pacific. Morgenthau’s crew provided critical command and control support at the scene ensuring their safety while waiting for a large seagoing tug boat capable of towing the massive vessel to Seattle. All parties arrived safe.
Morgenthau’s crew also conducted interagency operations with personnel from the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. Morgenthau’s boarding teams conducted 15 at-sea and pier side boardings with an embarked NOAA enforcement officer, an expert on living marine resource regulations in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.
Together, the Coast Guard and NOAA ensured that the all vessels operating in one of the harshest environments in the world were safely and properly operated. Morgenthau conducted additional 30 boardings in the region as the sole enforcement authority.
Morgenthau’s crew made six port calls in Dutch Harbor. During the brief stops, the crew took the opportunity to volunteer in the small fishing town. The crew assisted in the community center’s Halloween night and conducted clean-ups at local memorial sites.
Morgenthau is one of the Coast Guard’s five remaining 378-foot high endurance cutters still in operation. The 1960’s era fleet of cutters is presently being replaced by the national security cutters which will soon serve as the Coast Guard’s primary, long-range asset.