Inside the Coast Guard's Air Station on Kodiak Island
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- Опубліковано 11 сер 2022
- The Super Hercules parks next to its four HC-130J siblings. Nearby squat six MH-60T Jayhawk and four MH-65D Dolphin helicopters, aircraft that US Coast Guard watchstanders will scramble to rescue mariners at sea, hikers trapped in bear country, or downed pilots anywhere across 4 million square miles of the Gulf of Alaska, Bristol Bay, the Bering Sea, and a good chunk of the Pacific Ocean above the 40-degree latitude line.
If a distress call comes in west of Yakutat, that's a helicopter mission. The Super Hercules patrol the entire width of Alaska.
Coffee or Die Magazine spent a week with Kodiak's Coasties because this is their busy season. Between May 1 and Aug. 31, 2021, air station crews responded to 72 maydays. That meant crews spent 157 hours in the air to save 42 lives and aid 20 other people in distress.
By late July of this year's summer rescue season, crews had already flown 159 hours, saving 34 people and helping 18 others. And there was still more than a month to go. Cmdr. Richard "Rich" Kuzak, the executive officer of the air station, told Coffee or Die his rescue crews follow the fishing fleet.
Along Kodiak's archipelago and into the Bering Sea and Pacific go the black cod and halibut boats, the crabbers and the shrimp potters, the cod catchers, the trawlers, longliners, and seiners, their nets or snoods fat with walleye pollock, herring, and sole.
A flight from Kodiak, which juts 50 nautical miles into the Gulf of Alaska, can shave precious minutes off a rescue mission.
"Seasonally, as the fishing fleet gets underway, Kodiak is positioned in an area that allows us to have the adequate response capability to meet the time of loss of useful consciousness, just in case they have to get in the water," Kuzak said.
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As a fisherman born and raised in Kodiak, Alaska I've unfortunately been involved in two instances that needed Coast Guard assistance. Later 70's when tendering (packing salmon) in Cook Inlet we got hit by a container vessel traveling south, needed pumps and C.G. responded. Late 80's while fishing for crab in the Bering Sea got pan caked by a crab pot (days long grind) had to get airlifted out. Absolutely not proud of either instance but terribly glad we had stationed on our beautiful island this elite division that risk their lives to save common folk like me in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. Kodiak, Alaska is home to the largest Coast Guard base in the USA....Hat's off and sincere thanks for all you do.
Mad respect for these aviation professionals. Thanks to all for their service.
2👍👍 for Kodiak and the coasty pilots.
How about an episode on CBP’s Bortac?? That’d be legit
My dads CBP and he always talks about how badass Bortac is
I’ve done some work with them since I live on the border n yes, they’re badass, seeing them on their Blackhawk above us in the mobile stack en route to a target is pretty dope, not to mention actually seeing them do work on target is even better, they’re the most highly trained federal agents and you can definitely tell
@@xanderxavage thank your dad for his service. CBP is forgotten quite often
Or BORSTAR
Those guys can’t risk having their job filmed
I mean it’s one thing shooting a SAR video and another thing shooting a video catching illegal immigrants and narcos
They definitely don’t want cartels watching it and changing the m.o.
So cool! Love these videos y'all keep putting out showing different aspects of different missions.
Glad you like them!
In the early 90s I worked on fishing boats for a few years out of Kodiak. Got to see them in action a few times. It was reassuring to know that if things went south, the Coasties were gonna do whatever they could to come get you.
Thanks for the episode. Kodiak H60 driver 94-96. One of top 5 rescues was a 2-helo rescue of 3 Russian explorers stuck on an iceberg north of the Arctic Circle. So Others May Live.
Thank you for your service Mr. Allen. Did you ever do any Hurricane relief/ rescue down in the Gulf?
@@EncrypticMethods thanks for asking! Flew out of AirSta Clearwater 2001-2005. Don't recall any "big ones" during my tenure. Just missed Katrina by a few months.
What's going on there Jay?
@cepaasch WaaaazzzzUuup Mr. Paasch! Great to see your name! Hope all is well friend.
@@JayAAllen doing well, thank you. Great to hear from you. Funny running in to you on YT. I was on Kodiak ‘98-‘00. Didn’t want to go, didn’t want to leave.
Was stationed there in 95 on the C-130, LOVED IT.
Flying to absolutely nowhere with not enough fuel in a blizzard at night?! Pharrrk! 💪
Let's go, Coasties!
Being a sailor and marine worker i have such a love ànd respect for these lions among sheep
HC-130 Pilot ‘81-83 there. You can describe the conditions, terrain, missions all you want, but until you deal with it, you can’t know just how dangerous it is up there. They were flying HH-3’s and HH-52s when I was up there. I lost 6 friends to mishaps in the two years I was there. No where tougher or more challenging in USCG aviation assignments.Semper Paratus.
I may have been one of your enlisted Navs,I was there 80-84.....moved over to Anchorage and did the rest of my career in the AKANG with the CSAR mission there. AT-2
Well in my time in this is the absolute most daring SAR case bar none! 100 foot wave knocked a Kodiak Jayhawk from the sky during a hoist. The Dolphin on the CGC Alex Haley launched in impossible seas to save everyone. It was crazy! ua-cam.com/video/GZBfdverf44/v-deo.html
Respect...!!!
Thank you so very much, shared!
The Best of the Best
Two thumbs up !
I did 6 years on Kodiak at the pier on 2 cutters. I miss the island.
I knew a guy who was stationed there for years. He just got transferred to the east coast. Would've been cool to see him in the video.
Who?
@@samsmith9075 Nate Bryan
Like!!!!!
I’m trying to join the Coast Guard as we speak. Please pray for me that I make it in. God bless you all.
Best decision ive made in my life. Have you reached out to a recruiter already?
@@samsmith9075 yes I have there supposed to call me about MEPS this week.
👍 USCG 👍
Rescue divers up there must have shriveled snardlies. No thank you.
true, but in order to do the job their bollocks had to be way above average, so they shrink down to just above average....
Ever make a rescue on the coast and not the water ??
Semper Paratus
Do something on NYPD Emergency Service Unit
Spent time with Coast Guard Kodiak and didn't talk to a Rescue Swimmer? Missed Opportunity. Those dudes work the worst condidtions.
The CG is one of the few branches of govt worth the tax payer dollars imo
Next i would love to see wilderness firefighter, those lads and lasses are hardcore. sleeping in the forests, thats on fire, between shifts fighting said fire
SPAMMERS BEWARE. YOU WILL BE REPORTED!!