Winter deployment to the Bering Sea

[geoffp]

Hello everyone, thought you might be interested in seeing some pictures from my most recent deployment to the Bering Sea in Alaska. We were up there from November - February. The Coast Guard requires the Bering Sea to be patrolled by one of their cutters 24/7/365 for search and rescue purposes. I was deployed there over the summer:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=217838

The winter in the Bering was pretty crazy, I've never been in seas like that. It was quite an experience, and I'd do it again. If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask!



Fueling in Kodiak




Super gnarly storm in the Gulf of Alaska - 25+ feet.





We pulled back into Kodiak, AK for a holiday party. We got 2 days off, everyone had a good time. My buddies and I all bought cheap suits at the Salvation Army to wear.


Back underway, some of the seaman taking a break from working outside in the freezing cold:


Breaking ice






Took this on New Year's Eve morning - an amazing sunrise in the Bering Sea:





We pulled into Dutch Harbor (Unalaska) for a port call. My buddies and I hiked up some of the mountains and snowboarded for both days, great conditions!!





That's an active volcano in the clouds (Cleveland Volcano):


Group shot at the top


All hands have special billets for this gun shoot we were supposed to do (we had to cancel it due to low visibility)

[geoffp]

More...












Far from home:





One of my favorite pictures I got:




A fishing boat leaving Dutch Harbor:





This was the last night of the deployment (and my last night underway on the cutter - I'm leaving this summer)

Good morning Oahu!! It's good to be home...

[mrsleeve]

Dude this shot is INCREDIBLE do you have a Hi-Res you could send me???





What a great looking Malamute in his natural (preferred) habitat

[threlevenguy]

Really awesome pictures. I've been thinking of joining the Coast Guard after school. I talked to a recruiter and he was saying how full it is for the year. I guess everyone wants in.

[Mike325]

Awesome pictures! And your shooting with a DSLR too right?

[Joe G]

so cool!

[z31maniac]

Great pics!

Thanks for sharing!

[e46s54dr]

That looks more like a vacation than work.

[Sailor37]

Great pics!

Thanks for sharing!

qft

That looks more like a vacation than work.

I'm sure it was 99% work and 1% fun!

[Kershaw]

that looks incredible. nice shots man.

[Nsquared97]

Absolutely beautiful pics man!

[M-technik-3]

Just got home from Oahu this morning, spent two days there. Had more fun in Guam this week than Honolulu.

I don't miss flying into Kodiak NAS anymore. Glad they moved the USAF out of there.

Nice set of photos, but brrr. How often did the crew have to de-ice the ship?

[ADlBOO]

Nice pics! I was stationed up there for about year and a half and miss it! Totally different world in some of the villages up in the arctic.

[freeride53]

That's some cool shit. I can imagine serving in the CG as being a really awesome lifestyle.

[327is]

It's cool you had a good time up there. I'm a merchant marine, and besides the delicious fish and pretty views, I can't stand it up there. Too cold for me. I miss the good ol days going to Thailand, Singapore, hong kong, and Taiwan.