KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
USCG National Security Cutter Bertholf underway. USCG photo
The Coast Guard’s next generation of cutter is expected to arrive in Kodiak this week. The Alameda, California-based cutter Bertholf is a 418-foot National Security Cutter which will be in the area for about two months on a mission that combines fisheries enforcement and search and rescue.
The Bertholf’s public affairs officer Lt. Beth Denicola said in a Coast Guard-produced video that the cutter has a crew of 120. That’s about 60 fewer than the 378-foot high endurance cutters it’s designed to replace.
The Bertholf was in Juneau earlier this week where it was inspected by Gov. Sean Parnell. The Bertholf is one of eight planned National Security Cutters to eventually replace the Hamilton-class cutters like the Munro which is homeported in Kodiak.
