KODIAK, Alaska — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley (WMEC 39) returned to their home port in Kodiak, Oct. 4, following a 75-day patrol in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean.

The crew intercepted a Russian Federation naval vessel transiting the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, conducted domestic fisheries along the Aleutian Islands, and provided search and rescue coverage to the Bering Sea.

Their law enforcement team boarded 22 vessels, issued 27 safety and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fishery violations, and terminated the voyage of two vessels for hazardous and unsafe conditions.

The Alex Haley crew also completed a successful gunnery exercise, as well as flight operations with MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews from Air Station Kodiak.

Over the course of their patrol, the crew operated as far as 72 degrees north to the summer ice edge in the Arctic Ocean and 172 degrees east to Attu, the most westerly island of the Aleutian Islands chain, with visits to Adak and Nome.

The crew earned the Arctic Service Medal for providing 21 days of presence and search and rescue coverage above the Arctic Circle.

The Alex Haley, nicknamed “The Bulldog of the Bering,” is a 282-foot medium endurance cutter that performs search and rescue, fisheries law enforcement, and maritime security across Alaska. The cutter has been homeported in Kodiak since 1999 and was the recipient of the 2023 Captain Hopley Yeaton Cutter of the Year Award (Medium) and a 2024 International Maritime Organization Honour for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. 

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