The first of three new Coast Guard fast response cutters to be homeported in Kodiak is officially ready for duty, after the commissioning ceremony last week on April 3 for the John Witherspoon at Coast Guard Base Kodiak.
Dozens of Coast Guard members and civilians dressed in blue military suits, blazers and dresses filled rows of temporary seating inside the Air Station Kodiak’s main hangar.
The official commissioning of the cutter John Witherspoon included speeches from Coast Guard top brass, including Rear Admiral Megan Dean, the commander of the 17th district. And the commanding officer of the cutter, Lt. Commander Michael “Adam” Young.
“Captain Witherspoon lived by a simple yet powerful mantra: Learn, Think, Then Act," Dean said. "These words serve as a guiding principle, reminding us each that thoughtful leadership, critical thinking and decisive action are the cornerstone of excellence.”
John Witherspoon, the cutter’s namesake, was the first African American to command a medium endurance cutter, an afloat, and ashore unit. His officers often called him “Papa Spoon” and many of them were affectionately referred to as his “Teaspoons.”
The John Witherspoon first arrived in Kodiak in January after traveling more than 7,000 nautical miles from Key West, Florida and has been maneuvering in nearby bays while the crew gets familiar with the vessel, before it is deployed for its first mission.
The commissioning means it’s now ready for active service. Charles “Skip” Bowen, the vice president of government relations for Bollinger and a retired Master Chief of the Coast Guard, highlighted the John Witherspoon’s advanced technology and armaments onboard during the commissioning.
Regina Nash, Witherspoon’s daughter, was one of a few family members in attendance for the ceremony, and was named as the vessel’s sponsor. Her and her son Eric Nash were presented with a framed photo of her father John alongside the cutter.
She said her father, who passed away in the 90s, included the Coast Guard as part of his family. John G. Witherspoon passed away in 1994 at age of 54.
“Everybody here on the Coast Guard Base, and everybody who put this whole thing together, have treated me like royalty," Regina Nash said. "And like they always say, and if you talk to any Coast Guard person, it’s family. This is a big family and I’m proud to be part of it and it’s an honor to be here.”
This cutter is the first of three to be homeported in Kodiak. Each new vessel, which are replacing the 110-foot Island-class patrol boats like the Naushon in Homer that was just decommissioned last month, is named after individuals that leadership deem as exemplary Coast Guard members and heroes.
As part of the April 3 ceremony, Witherspoon’s nephew, Troy Patterson presented the long glass to the roughly 25-member crew, which signifies the officer of the deck’s authority on the ship and helps set up the vessel’s first watch.
The commissioning ceremony concluded with another Coast Guard tradition – raising the colors.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Katelynn Lane, the John Witherspoon’s executive officer, says the operational schedule hasn’t been determined yet but the cutter will be patrolling around the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea-Aleutians and potentially Cook Inlet.
"And we know that our AOR [area of responsibility] expands or it shrinks just based off of fisheries, even," Lane said. "We want to be localized in an area where we are supporting the fishermen as best as we can. And so it definitely is an ever changing sort of area of operations.”
The John Witherspoon will be focused on fisheries, drug and migrant interdiction, national defense and search and rescue according to Coast Guard leadership.
The John Witherspoon is 154 feet in length, can travel at a speed of more than 28 knots and has the capacity to remain at sea for longer periods of time than the decommissioned Island-class patrol boats. The cutter is set to begin operations in the coming weeks.
