Air Station Kodiak

History

Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak is a Seventeenth Coast Guard District (D17) unit on beautiful Kodiak Island approximately 250 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The Air Station was commissioned as an Air Detachment April 17, 1947, with one PBY Catalina aircraft, seven pilots, and 30 crewmen. It represented the first permanent Coast Guard aviation resource in Alaska. The Air Station is the major tenant of Coast Guard Base Kodiak. It is the largest Coast Guard command in D17 and the entire Pacific Area (PACAREA). The present complement of HC-130Hs, MH-60Ts, MH-65Ds aids in completing our mission and saving lives.

 

MH-65 in action by Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley

MH-65D Dolphin Helicopters

MH-65D helicopters augment Alaska Patrols (ALPAT) by deploying aboard 378’ High Endurance Cutters to make our presence known to the outer edges of the largest operational area of responsibility in the Coast Guard, over 3.9 million square miles. Supported by extremely motivated and professional ALPAT maintenance personnel, MH-65D Helicopter crew achieve a remarkable 98 percent availability during deployments. Without that type of support, operational effectiveness on the high seas would be substantially diminished.

 

MH-60 in action by AET2 Kelly Kavanaugh

MH-60T Jayhawk Helicopters

Protection of living marine natural resources doesn’t end with the close monitoring of U.S. and international fishing fleets far from Kodiak. Air Station MH-60T crews remain intensely involved with state and local officials to equally ensure nearby sea-lion rookeries remain unmolested, halibut fishery openings and closings are closely monitored for violators, and local herring fisheries are properly conducted.

 

An HC-130 departs for patrol by PA1 Sara Mooers.HC130H Hercules Fixed-Wing

In addition to Search and Rescue operations and Fisheries Law Enforcement patrols, the air station flies missions involving logistic support of outlying Coast Guard units as far as Barrow to the north and Shemya to the west. They provide deployed helicopter SAR support out of Cordova from April through September and Cold Bay from October through December and January through March with additional seasonal FOLs in the northern region as needed. The air station personnel maintain relationships with and support of federal and state agencies throughout Alaska.

 

Maintenance

Maintentance by Auxiliarist Tracey MertensAir Station Kodiak's maintenance professionals "keep'em flying". Keeping aircraft mission capable in some of the most demanding weather conditions found anywhere in the world requires a special sense of dedication and commitment. With aircraft availability rates that routinely surpass Commandant requirements, the men and women of Air Station Kodiak continue to meet this challenge. Aviation enlisted personnel can expect to be assigned to one of the three airframe types (HC-130, MH-60, MH-65) at Kodiak. Assignment to ALPAT (MH-65) is normally a second tour of duty for qualified aircrew members.