STOCK PHOTO:
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mellon departs Honolulu during Operation North Pacific Guard. During the 100-day out-of-hemisphere patrol, Mellon's crew sailed nearly 20,000 miles in support of Operation North Pacific Guard, a multi-national effort to deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing on the high seas.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Kakit Chan)
SEATTLE — The Coast Guard Cutter Mellon is scheduled to arrive at Base Seattle Pier 36, Saturday, following the completion of a patrol in the northern and central sections of the Pacific Ocean for the purpose of deterring and detecting illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.
During a period of 91 days the Mellon's crew patrolled 453,000 square miles within the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission enforcement area and dedicated myriad flight hours in support of High Seas Drift Net detection and interdiction operations.
The crew provided exceptional, effective, and timely sighting reports, building international Maritime Domain Awareness on the high seas. They completed three Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission boardings, resulting in two serious violations.
Most notably, the Mellon's crew represented the Coast Guard during several high profile international engagements. They rendezvoused with international Coast Guard vessels and aviation units and hosted the Japan Coast Guard. Their engagements bolstered international relations between nations continuing to build upon the foundation of multinational support and cooperation. Port of calls included Dutch Harbor and Kodiak Island, Alaska, in addition to Yokosuka, Japan.
The Mellon was commissioned in 1968 in New Orleans and is named for Andrew M. Mellon, secretary of the treasury from 1921 to 1932. The cutter spent the first twelve years of service homeported in Honolulu. From 1969 through mid 1972, the Mellon participated in the Vietnam conflict, performing naval gunfire support missions and patrolling Southeast Asian waters preventing the smuggling of weapons into Vietnam. The crew of the Mellon has responded to numerous major search and rescue cases including assisting 510 passengers and crew members from the burning luxury liner Prinsendam in 1980. The cutter also established a number of Coast Guard firsts, including the first installation and launch of the Harpoon Missile.
The Mellon's current crew patrols in the Bering Sea and all parts of the Pacific Ocean. The crew's primary missions include search and rescue, the enforcement of laws and regulations related to the preservation of U. S. and international fisheries, and the interdiction of illegal narcotics. The crew of the Mellon are at sea or on duty in port approximately 250 days a years.
"The crew is happy to be back in Seattle," said Ensign Samantha Clayton, operations department, Coast Guard Cutter Mellon. "The crew looks forward to spending more time with family and friends while enjoying the community as the summer season comes to an end.For more information about the crew's deployment please contact Ensign Samantha Clayton at 206-217-6290 or by emailing her at Samantha.M.Clayton@uscg.mil.