U.S.Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast came back to its place this week after completing a successful 41 day multi-mission deployment, patrolling more than 4,000 nautical miles and conducting 22 at-sea boardings of commercial fishing vessels. The crew of the cutter has enforced the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act, as well as federal and state fisheries regulations. It has terminated one fishing vessel with a survival craft more than five months expired and conducted four rescue cases, escorting two of the vessels back to homeport.
It is said that Steadfast’s most significant rescue case was a response to the fishing
vessel Mary L, 43 NM offshore. The 38-foot Double-Ender fishing vessel was taking on approximately 300 gallons of water per hour. Mary L had a loose plank in the bow and 1 1.2 tons of ice in the aft hold. The rescue team excavated a 36-cubic-foot hole in the vessel’s ice hold, and rigged a P-6 dewatering pump by conducting dewatering operations and returned to homeport safely.
It is told that in this patrol, Steadfast underwent flight standardization (STAN) training, conducting more than 45 day and night evolutions to re-certify the ship and its crew. After successfully completion of LMR patrol and STAN, Steadfast participated in the 2008 Seattle Sea Fair representing the Coast Guard along with the CG Cutter Aspen.
