KODIAK, Alaska – In recognition of 70 years of military presence in Kodiak and 100 years of Naval Aviation, Coast Guard personnel will hold a celebration ceremony at 10 a.m. in Hangar 3 of the air station on the base Wednesday.
Members of the community are invited to attend and are asked to arrive at Hangar 3 no later than 9:45 a.m. to ensure a timely start to the celebration.
Ancient Albatrosses, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Gary Blore, Coast Guard District 13 commander, and Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Peter MacDougall, an aviation maintenance technician stationed at the Coast Guard Academy, are scheduled to be the guest speakers.
Following the ceremony, attendees are invited to view a search and rescue demonstration from the air station in Women’s Bay, cheer on Coast Guard teams in a HC-130 aircraft tug-of-war, tour aircraft static displays and view historical accounts and photos on display in the hangar. A Coast Guard HC-130 with a retro paint scheme from the Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, N.C., will be part of the static display.
Base Kodiak began as the Naval Air Station Kodiak under the Navy June 15, 1941. On April 17, 1947, the Coast Guard air station was commissioned as an air detachment at the Navy Base with one PBY Catalina aircraft, seven pilots, and 30 crewmen. On April 25, 1972, the order establishing Coast Guard Base Kodiak and Coast Guard Radio Station Kodiak was issued by the commandant of the Coast Guard. Air Station Kodiak was already operating with three HC-130 Hercules aircraft and two HH-52A helicopters.
Currently, Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak operates four HC-130 aircraft, four MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and four HH-65 Dolphin helicopters. Kodiak Naval Operating Base, Fort Greely, and Fort Abercrombie were listed on the National Register of Historic Places and also declared to be National Historic Landmarks in 1985.
The Ancient Albatross Officer Award was instituted in 1966 to honor the Coast Guard aviator on active duty holding the earliest designation as an aviator. In 1988, the Enlisted Ancient Albatross Award was established to honor the Coast Guard enlisted aircrew member on active duty with the earliest graduation date from an aviation technical school. They are considered technical experts within their fields.
