NOVEMBER 18, 2024 — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) returned to its Alameda homeport on Nov. 4, after completing a 110-day patrol in the Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea.
Stratton departed Alameda on July 18 and patrolled the Alaskan Inside Passage to Juneau, Alaska, throughout the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and into the Arctic Ocean. The crew supported U.S. strategic interests in the high latitudes and ensured the safety and compliance of domestic fishery operators. This was Stratton’s second 110-day Alaska patrol in 2024.
During the patrol, Stratton’s crew tracked and observed two Russian Federation Navy surface action groups transiting through U.S. waters above the Arctic Circle. Stratton patrolled under Operation Frontier Sentinel, an operation designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters. The Coast Guard’s presence strengthens the international rules-based order and promotes the conduct of operations in a manner consistent with international law and norms.
While patrolling the Arctic, Stratton conducted the first at-sea refueling evolutions for a national security cutter in the high latitudes. The at-sea refueling extended patrol times in the Arctic and enabled persistent Coast Guard presence in the remote region.
Stratton conducted 20 boardings of commercial fishing vessels and foreign trans-shipment vessels enforcing safety and fishing regulations. Alaska’s fisheries are some of the nation’s largest providers of seafood and are a critical component of the U.S. economy. The Coast Guard’s efforts in ensuring safe fishing practices are essential to support this vital industry.
Stratton’s crew also conducted search and rescue (SAR) operations while deployed to the region. Stratton responded to the fishing vessel Galatea, which was adrift in a storm without propulsion due to a severed engine cooling line. Stratton crew deployed to the fishing vessel, repaired the casualty, and safely escorted Galatea to Dutch Harbor.
Stratton also responded to the 738-foot cargo tanker Pan Viva beset by a storm north of Dutch Harbor. After losing propulsion, the vessel was in danger of running aground in seas greater than 30’ and 90-mile-per-hour winds. Stratton provided operational oversight to Pan Viva as Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter air crews evacuated non-essential personnel and commercial tugs aided the vessel.
Throughout the patrol, Stratton conducted 334 deck landings qualifications with Air Station Kodiak’s MH-60 helicopter air crews operating near the Alaskan towns of Utqiagvik and Kotzebue above the Arctic Circle, to Cold Bay and Dutch Harbor in the Bering Sea. Stratton’s coordination of these flight operations provided training opportunities for the crews to enhance their SAR capabilities in the remote areas of Alaska, which tripled the number of shipboard-qualified pilots in the Alaska region.
“I am extremely proud of the resilience and professionalism of Stratton’s crew who’ve spent eight of the last ten months at sea in Alaska, conducting missions to safeguard our nation and people throughout two deployments to the region,” said Capt. Brian Krautler, Stratton’s commanding officer. “We met foreign presence in the Arctic, demonstrating our ability and resolve to protect our most challenging border and we found new ways to extend our presence, devising means to refuel at sea in the high latitudes. We boarded U.S. and foreign vessels to ensure compliance with legal and safety regulations, we enhanced SAR capabilities through rigorous flight training and conducted important search and rescue cases in our most demanding area of operations.”
Stratton also met with the Royal Canadian Navy leadership during a port call in Victoria, Canada, to discuss strategic interests and cooperative efforts in the region. Stratton hosted three Royal Canadian Navy members during the patrol, enhancing U.S. and Canadian interoperability.
Additionally, Stratton conducted community relations engagements in the remote Alaskan communities of Savoonga, Teller and Brevig Mission. During these engagements, crew members met with tribal and city council leadership, volunteered at elementary schools, provided training in water and boating safety, participated in community-wide events including a high-latitude half-marathon, and learned about Inupiat culture, aiding in the service’s understanding of the communities and how to optimize support for remote Alaskan villages.
Commissioned in 2012, Stratton is one of ten commissioned legend-class national security cutters and one of four homeported in Alameda. National security cutters are 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, and have a 4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, and can hold a crew of up to 170. Stratton routinely conducts operations throughout the Pacific, where the cutter’s combination of range, speed, and ability to operate in extreme weather provides the mission flexibility necessary to conduct vital strategic missions.
Stratton’s namesake is Capt. Dorothy Stratton, who led the service’s all-female reserve force during World War II. Dorothy Stratton was the first female commissioned officer in the Coast Guard and commanded more than 10,000 personnel. The ship’s motto is “we can’t afford not to.”
For more information, contact Ensign Sarah Choe at sarah.e.choe@uscg.mil