The crew of Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon (WPC 1158) arrived at the cutter’s new homeport in Kodiak, Tuesday after a long voyage from Key West, Fla. The cutter is scheduled to be commissioned during a ceremony in April.
The Witherspoon is the first of three fast response cutters scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak and is now the fourth fast response cutters currently based in Alaska.
While the ships will be homeported in Kodiak, they will operate throughout the 17th Coast Guard District to include the U.S. Arctic, Gulf of Alaska, and Bering Sea.
The crew of the Witherspoon will carry out Coast Guard missions such as maritime law enforcement and security, living marine resources, and search and rescue, the Coast Guard said in a statement. They will provide security for Alaskan coastal communities as they continue to utilize the ocean for their livelihoods while preserving Alaska’s living marine resources in conjunction with our partner agencies.
Congressman Nick Begich welcomed the news.
“Increasing the Coast Guard’s presence in Alaska could not come at a more important time. As foreign adversaries increase activity off Alaska’s coast and foreign commercial fishing vessels encroach on our territory, a strong commitment to the Coast Guard in Alaska sends an important message: U.S. sovereignty will be guarded from our most Southern border to our most Northern,” he said.
“The crew is humbled to be associated to a namesake honoring Capt. John G. Witherspoon, a trailblazer who found enjoyment and purpose in leading and mentoring others,” said Lt. Cmdr. Adam Young, commanding officer of the Witherspoon. “It is fitting that the cutter’s first sail was no tall order, stretching more than 7,000 nautical miles from Key West to Kodiak. Throughout the last five months, the crew displayed remarkable teamwork and resilience, a true testament to the core values Capt. Witherspoon epitomized throughout his illustrious career. I couldn’t be prouder of the team we have onboard, and I look forward to experiencing the beauty of Alaska once again.”
Read about John Witherspoon at this Wikipedia link.
The new cutters arriving in Alaska are designed to replace the service’s fleet of 110-foot cutters that are projected to be decommissioned this year.
The Coast Guard is currently scheduled to have six fast response cutters operating throughout Alaska by the end of 2025 to reinforce the nation’s maritime boundaries and shorten on-scene response times to support search and rescue efforts and better serve the people of Alaska, the Coast Guard statement said.
Fast response cutters feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment as well as over-the-horizon response boat deployment capability and improved habitability for the crew. The ships can reach speeds of 28 knots and are equipped to coordinate operations with partner agencies and long-range Coast Guard assets such as the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutters.
The 154-foot ships are designed to conduct drug and migrant interdictions; ports, waterways and coastal security operations; fisheries and environmental protection patrols; national defense missions; and search and rescue. Each cutter is designed for a crew of 24, has a range of 2,500 miles and is equipped for patrols up to five days. The fast response cutters are part of the Coast Guard’s overall fleet modernization initiative.