Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak crews opened a seasonal forward operating location in Cold Bay in advance of winter fisheries on Saturday.
Coast Guard aircrews transferred equipment and aircraft to Cold Bay to reduce the response time to Bristol Bay, the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.
A Coast Guard cutter with a Kodiak-based MH-65 Dolphin helicopter will also be on patrol in the Bering Sea during the majority of the season.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter deployed to Cold Bay will rotate personnel each week, along with logistic flights by a Kodiak-based HC-130 Hercules airplane, through the end of the Opilio crab season, with a scheduled break between December and January.
Capt. Mark Morin, Air Station Kodiak commanding officer, said the station in Cold Bay can eliminate hours of flight time transiting from Kodiak during maritime emergencies in the Bering Sea and the Aleutians Islands during one of the busiest fishing seasons of the year.
Air Station Kodiak sets up three forward operating locations throughout year to cut down response times to mariners in distress. This past summer, helicopter crews were deployed to Cordova and Kotzebue.