Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro Returns to Kodiak Following 2 Month Fisheries Enforcement Patrol

“This has been an extremely exciting and rewarding patrol,” said US Coast Guard Captain Riley Gatewood, commanding officer, Douglas Munro. “It was like watching a home-run derby; the crew absolutely crushed each ball into the bleacher seats. The 11 at-sea boardings bolstered US presence that promoted a strong deterrent value, relevancy, and directly contributed to the economic stability and food security for the region. Their outstanding results, positive attitude and exceptional work ethic set the standard for future US Coast Guard engagements.”

Thanks to a partnership with the Kodiak Area Native Association, the Munro crew conducted pre-deployment COVID-19 testing, followed by a 14-day monitoring period in order to ensure the safety of the crew during the current global pandemic. Throughout their patrol, the crew maintained strict health precautionary measures and minimized interactions with others to ensure sustained mission readiness.

While patrolling in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands, the Douglas Munro crew rendezvoused with Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755). Commissioned in 2017, the Munro is the sixth 418-foot, Legend-class national security cutter in the Coast Guard. The Munro is one of the four national security cutters homeported in Alameda, California, and is bearing the same namesake of Douglas Munro, the Coast Guard’s only World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

Commissioned in 1971, Douglas Munro is the Coast Guard’s only remaining 378-foot High Endurance Cutter from a fleet that was once twelve strong. High Endurance Cutters have a crew of 160 and have long served as the capital ships of the Coast Guard cutter fleet. Douglas Munro has earned the title of the America’s Bering Sea Cutter, for her extensive resume of arduous patrols in perilous Aleutian waters. Even after nearly forty-nine years of service, Douglas Munro remains versatile and can operate globally in the most demanding open ocean environments, from the North Pacific’s hazardous fishing grounds to the wind swept isles of the Aleutians.