USCGC Stratton Completes 103-Day Arctic and Bering Sea Patrol

28 October 2026
Edited By: Haley McQueen

The crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) returned to their home port in Alameda on Saturday, after a 103-day patrol in the Arctic and Bering Sea, where they worked diligently to reinforce maritime safety, security, and national sovereignty in one of the most demanding operating areas in the world.

USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752) conducts a simulated fueling-at-anchor evolution with USCGC Storis (WAGB 21) in Broad Bay, Alaska, Oct. 6, 2026. The training evolution demonstrated Storis’s ability to refuel other Coast Guard cutters while at anchor, enhancing operational flexibility and endurance for Coast Guard assets operating in remote Alaskan waters. (Image credit: Ensign Maddox Holmes-Selby, USCG)

As access to the Arctic continues to increase, demand for Coast Guard presence and search and rescue in the high north continues to grow. Stratton‘s crew executed a full range of cutter missions while operating alongside US and Canadian partners under Operation Frontier Sentinel and Operation Tundra Merlin.

“I am proud of this crew for the professionalism they showed during a long and demanding patrol in the Arctic and Bering Sea,” said Capt. Matthew Press, Stratton‘s commanding officer. “From search and rescue response and safeguarding US sovereignty, to joint operations with our Canadian partners and engagement with Alaskan communities, they delivered presence and readiness where it mattered most.”

Stratton conducted flight operations with a US Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter off Kotzebue, Alaska, on August 11, building proficiency between cutter and aviation crews for search and rescue and maritime response. That same day, the cutter conducted a joint sail with the Canadian offshore patrol vessel HMCS Max Bernays in the Bering Strait, strengthening interoperability with the Royal Canadian Navy in the Arctic region.

On August 24, Stratton held a change of command ceremony at anchor in Kotzebue in harsh Arctic conditions. Rear Adm. Jeffrey Novak, commander of Southwest District, presided as Press assumed command from Rear Adm. Dorothy Hernaez. The ceremony marked a seamless transition of leadership and sustained the cutter’s mission readiness for continued operations in the Arctic.

Stratton also conducted a live-fire gunnery exercise with its Mark110 57 mm gun off the coast of Unalaska on September 30. The crew engaged multiple targets and tested and maintained the cutter’s weapons systems, reinforcing gunnery proficiency for operations in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.

On October 6, Stratton conducted a simulated fueling-at-anchor evolution with Coast Guard Cutter Storis (WAGB 21) in Broad Bay, Alaska. The training demonstrated Storis‘s ability to refuel other Coast Guard cutters while at anchor and expanded logistical flexibility for assets operating in remote Alaskan waters.

While on patrol, Stratton‘s crew spent 26 days above the Arctic Circle protecting US sovereignty and territorial integrity, earning the Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal. The crew conducted port visits in Seattle, Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, and Victoria, Canada. In Seattle, Stratton participated in the Fleet Week Parade of Ships and provided tours to more than 2,500 members of the public. Stratton also hosted a flight-deck reception during Seattle Fleet Week for guests from the Coast Guard, Navy, and Royal Canadian Navy, along with civic leaders from the Seattle area.

Commissioned in 2012, Stratton is a 418-foot Legend-class national security cutter homeported in Alameda. National security cutters have a top speed in excess of 28 knots and a range of 12,000 nautical miles. Stratton is equipped with a flight deck and hangar capable of supporting multi-mission helicopters. The cutter is named for Capt. Dorothy C. Stratton, director of the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS) during World War II, and was the first national security cutter named after a woman.