ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Coast Guard and good Samaritan crews assisted the crew of the fishing vessel Kodiak Sockeye after the vessel began taking on water near Knowles Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, Thursday.

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed to Cordova, a Coast Guard Station Valdez 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore and the crew of the good Samaritan vessel Rocky B provided the crew of the Kodiak Sockeye with dewatering pumps. The RB-M crew towed the vessel 37 miles to Cordova.  

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders received a report from the vessel’s crew that the engine compartment was flooding. Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast, requested the launch of the Jayhawk and RB-M crews and requested the diversion of the Sycamore crew. Two good Samaritan vessels, the Rocky B and the Remedy, responded to the UMIB. 

“The crew of the Kodiak Sockeye was preparing to abandon ship when they called for help,” said Petty Officer 2^ndClass Lindsey Green, a Sector Anchorage watchstander. “The quick response time of our crews allowed us to save the crew and salvage their vessel.”

Forward Operating Location Cordova consists of a Kodiak-based MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter with supporting air, ground and communications crews. The FOL increases the Coast Guard’s readiness and allows for faster responses to emergencies in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound.

Weather on scene was reported as calm seas and 15-mph winds.

2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the Coast Guard’s presence in Alaska. On August 12, 1867 the Revenue Cutter Lincoln transported the first federal officials to Sitka for the formal transfer of proprietorship from Russia on October 18, 1867. Since then, the Coast Guard’s duty to protect the people and waters of Alaska and the Arctic has grown alongside the 49th state’s ever-increasing role in American commerce, Arctic exploration and national sovereignty.

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