Coast Guard Cutter Sherman scheduled to return home for the holidays

SAN DIEGO -- U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sherman is scheduled to return to homeport in San Diego from a 100-day patrol to the Bering Sea, Thursday morning.

During the patrol, Sherman’s crew boarded 45 vessels to conduct safety checks and fisheries inspections, as well as responded to seven search and rescue cases, saving more than 20 lives and maritime assets valued at more than $1.5 million.

One of the search and rescue cases involved the crew of the fishing vessel Rebecca Irene. They experienced engine problems limiting their speed to five knots, preventing them from avoiding a low pressure system dubbed “The Storm of the Century” by the media. The Sherman’s crew evacuated 20 non-essential crewmembers from the Rebecca Irene to the cutter and escorted the fishing vessel through the night until it was taken under tow by a tug from Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Another search and rescue case involved the 649-foot motor vessel Morning Cedar that suffered damage to its steering system preventing maneuvering. The Sherman was on scene for more than 120 hours while the Morning Cedar flew in technicians from Europe to conduct temporary repairs. Sherman then escorted the Morning Cedar more than 400 miles to Dutch Harbor.

During a port call in Dutch Harbor, crewmembers participated in a ceremony with local Boy Scouts, replacing the weathered flags at the Bering Sea Patrol Monument at Memorial Park in Unalaska, Alaska.

During the ceremony, Capt. Joseph F. Hester III, commanding officer of the Sherman, spoke on the importance of remembering the 140 years that the Coast Guard has served in the Bering Sea, dating back to the Revenue Cutter Service. Afterward, the crewmembers visited the graves of servicemen from the Revenue Cutters Rush and Bear, dating from the 1890’s.

The Sherman is the sixth of twelve 378-foot Secretary Class High Endurance Cutters. It is homeported in San Diego, with a crew of approximately 160.

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