Coasties cruise into town for a little tear and repair

CINTHIA RITCHIE

May 15, 2008 at 1:25PM AKST

Walking onboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley on April 25 was like entering another world.

There was little color or ornamentation. Everything was compact and narrow. Even the sleeping berths were functional, with scratchy-looking, no-nonsense blankets.
I felt slightly claustrophobic. I worried about emergency exits. I wondered what would happen if I had to go to the bathroom.

But a half hour later, drinking orange juice in the officer’s room with operations officer Glen Moscatello, executive officer Anthony Williams, Seward Coast Guard flotilla representative Sue Lang and Capt. Kevin Jones, the cutter began to make sense. There was something inspiring and slightly romantic about men and women patrolling the Alaska seas and performing rescue operations.

Williams assured that it wasn’t like that at all. The ship was a job, a type of moving corporation if you will, and that added up to long and often grueling hours.
“We do this 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said. “We need a rotation of three to four people for each job. Someone is always getting up when someone else is going to bed.”

The Alex Haley was in the process of “walking the blocks,” which meant that the captain checked that the cutter was properly and safely positioned at dock.
“She” was going into dry dock for 11 weeks, at which time the crew would perform in-depth repairs, cleanups and all the gnarly jobs they didn’t have time to tackle while at sea.

“It’s not fun,” Williams said. “You’re docked but away from home. But these things have to be done.”

The captain put into clearer perspective.

“When you’re at sea with 300-foot waves and 100 miles per hour winds, you want to know that your equipment is up to par.”


The way it was
The cutter wasn’t always Alex Haley. It used to be the USS Edenton and was one of three rescue and salvage ships built for the U.S. Navy. Commissioned in 1971, it was  decommissioned in 1996 after 25 years of service.

A year later it was transferred to the Coast Guard for an 18-month, $20 million overhaul. This so-called makeover included navigational upgrades, flight deck installations, removal of diving and salvage equipment and extension of the flight deck.

The ship weighs in at approximately 3,000 tons and is 283 feet, which classifies it as a medium cutter. It was named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of roots Alex Haley, who was the first bona fide Coast Guard journalist.

Based out of Kodiak, the cutter performs search and rescue operations, homeland security and fisheries enforcement in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and North Pacific.

How it is now
The Alex Haley sports eight engines, all named after female pirates.
“It personalizes the ship for us,” Jones said. “You’re on this ship so much you need to make it feel like home.”

The crew is onboard about 200 days a year. Patrols typically last six weeks, though they’ve been known to stretch three months. There’s little free time away from port.
“There’s never a time when you feel rested,” Jones said. “You never recover from the 30- and 40-hour shifts.”

But there’s a plus side to all of that hard work.

“You don’t have enough time to get lonely,” Moscatello said. He paused in thought for a moment. “It’s really scary for a young person coming on, I was scared out of my mind. But it was exciting too.”

The ship is wired with Internet and satellite TV, which helps the crew stay in touch with family and friends. This, according to Jones, is both a blessing and a curse.

“It connects you to your family and helps alleviate the loneliness,” he said. “But you can’t really do anything if, say, your mother is sick and you hear about it when you’re out at sea. There’s nothing to do but try not to worry.”

Touring the ship
While the Alex Haley is classified as a medium-sized cutter, the Coast Guard crew considers it as a type of luxury boat in comparison with smaller vessels.

Still, it offered a tight fit. The hallways were narrow and painted a grayish white, and I had to be careful to pick up my feet when entering rooms or risk tripping over the upraised doorframe. There was a constant hum of machinery; fire equipment and survival gear hung from the walls.

According to Moscatello, who led my tour, every available inch of space must be used to its maximum potential.

Such compactness gave off a snug and homey feel, especially in the captain’s room, which sported leather chairs and sofa, maps over the walls and a prehistoric phone called the squawk box. The 1950s intercom system is still in use, Jones admitted rather sheepishly, though it’s being phased out with more up-to-date communications.
In the pilot house, the bridge was manned with electronic charts, a huge Global Positioning System and an honest-to-goodness helm, which was still in use.
“Someone has to be driving the ship at the wheel helm at all times,” said Henry Yrjana, electronics technician chief.

He explained that less than a dozen of their ships still rely on helms.
“It’s unique,” he said. “It’s quite a change.”

Especially when coming from ships with more modern steerage, he added. But it’s all part of changing vessels, which typically takes place every two years.

“You have to get used to the intricacies of a new ship,” he said. “You start to feel comfortable when you know all the niches.”

Then it was down steep metal steps, past the medical station, laundry room and ship store, to where some of the crew hung out in the lounge. They looked endearingly young and freshly shaved. The girl had her hair pulled back into a crisp ponytail. They were arguing good-naturedly about a movie.

“I know it was because  … .” the girl said.

“No, no, the other guy,” a young man said. “He came in at the last scene and …”
“Hey, this tastes like a Twinkie,” another interrupted, holding up a glass of pale yellow beverage.

“Remember those little cakes, not Twinkies but … ,” another said.
Outside, the wind blew and the rain came down. But inside the Alex Haley, 100 “Coasties” it felt right at home.

Cinthia Ritchie can be reached at (907) 342-2428 or toll free at (800) 770-9830, ext. 428.