In 1972 the U.S. Navy closed their Kodiak station and the Coast Guard moved in. The result is the country’s largest Coast Guard station. Nearly 1,000 active-duty personnel are stationed in Kodiak along with some 1,700 family members and several hundred civilian employees. A buoy tender, two cutters, seven helicopter units, and five C-130 aircraft conduct patrol and rescue operations throughout Alaska. Communications, navigational support, training, and marine safety are also part of the Coast Guard’s diverse mission.
The Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment is responsible for inspecting and licensing fishing vessels moored in Kodiak’s boat harbors. If you have watched Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” then you know that it is Coast Guard cutters, helicopters and personnel who assist vessels in trouble in the rough waters of the North Pacific and the Bering Sea.
The Coast Guard is also responsible for environmental and fisheries protection. They are a branch of the U.S. Armed Services.
