The last Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew forward deployed to Cordova for the summer is scheduled to return to Kodiak, Monday.
Throughout the deployment, which started May, 14, 2020, aircrews out of forward operating location Cordova flew on 11 cases, and saved four lives.
Air Station Kodiak personnel deploy to Cordova every summer in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound. This allows crews to provide better response times and coverage to remote regions of Alaska during periods of increased maritime activity.
In addition to the forward-deployment to Cordova, the Coast Guard also forward-deploys resources to the Bering Sea region both in summer and winter to address increased commercial fishing activity.
“Having crews staged at these forward operating locations allows us to reduce the distance aircrews have to travel when responding to emergencies,” said Lt. Zach Farrell, a pilot with Air Station Kodiak. “Even in the summer, the Alaskan environment can be dangerous and unpredictable, making quick response times an absolute necessity when disasters occur.”
