Alex Haley Crewmen Assist Three Adrift Mariners

Jay Barrett/KMXT
The crew from the Kodiak-based Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley assisted three mariners late Tuesday after their skiff experienced outboard troubles near Nome.
The Nome police department contacted the Alex Haley that they had lost contact with a 16-foot skiff that was disabled and adrift. The Coast Guardsmen launched a small boat and found the skiff being assisted by Good Samaritans. But after it got back underway, the skiff’s engine died again and it was taken under tow by the Alex Haley crew and escorted to the Nome small boat harbor. Wind and seas were light and no injuries were reported.
The Alex Haley is in Northwest Arctic waters as part of Arctic Shield, the Coast Guard’s program to increase patrols in the far north as sea ice continues to recede and ship traffic increases.