KODIAK, Alaska – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Long Island returned to their homeport of Valdez Thursday following a 45 day patrol near the San Juan Islands north of Seattle in support of security for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The Long Island conducted patrols, boardings and professional exchanges with Navy cruisers, destroyers, multi-agency aircraft and other Coast Guard units such as high endurance cutters, patrol boats, Maritime Safety and Security Teams and the Maritime Security Response Team.
The crew transited more than 2,500 miles roundtrip for the mission including underway maintenance and port calls to Washington state, Canada and Southeast Alaska.
According to Lt. John Christensen, Long Island Commanding Officer, the crew enjoyed taking part in a joint international task force between the U.S. and Canada to enforce border security and safety for the athletes and spectators of the games. They maintained full accountability of vessel traffic transiting from the U.S. to Canada during the Winter Olympics and conducted periodic law enforcement boardings to ensure vessels are in compliance of all U.S. laws and regulations to assist their Canadian counterparts.
The Coast Guard was the lead for all U.S. maritime military naval forces supporting the 2010 Winter Olympics and had the dual responsibility of supporting Canadian Maritime operations while contributing to the larger Canadian government communications effort in promoting public confidence and security.
Vancouver, British Columbia, hosted the 2010 Olympics from Feb. 12 to 28. The Olympic events drew large crowds from around the world.
The Long Island is a 110-foot multi-mission patrol boat operating in an area within the coastal waters of Central and Southeast Alaska.
Comments and photos from the crew’s deployment are available at www.uscgalaska.blogspot.com, choose Long Island from the unit list on the right.
