Coast Guard Cutter Northland (WMEC 904) returned to their homeport of Portsmouth September 28 following a 67-day deployment in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic region.
Northland’s patrol of the high northern latitudes directly supported the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy and strengthened international relations with allies during Operation Nanook Tuugaalik 2024, a Canadian-led military exercise committed to furthering safety and sustainability of the Arctic region.
“This deployment has been an incredible experience for the crew of Northland,” said Cmdr. Brian Gismervik, commanding officer of Northland. “Our participation alongside Arctic Region partners has emphasized the importance of these operations and showcased the powerful capabilities a combined force can bring to address the evolving challenges and opportunities in the rapidly changing high-latitude environment.”
While deployed, Northland’s crew conducted training operations with the Royal Canadian Navy, Danish Royal Navy, and U.S. Navy to include live-fire gunnery exercises, towing and formation steaming, medical facility open houses, and cross-deck trainings in maritime law enforcement, engineering, and deck operations.
Northland’s crew also conducted Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) living marine resources (LMR) inspections alongside fisheries officers from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans as well as U.S. Coast Guard District 1 LMR boardings, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU-F) firsthand, culminating in over 50 hours and four violations.
The Northland’s crew sailed more that 8,500 nautical miles while strengthening ties with partner nations through a series of port calls. Northland’s crew visited Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, transiting alongside HMCS Margaret Brooke (AOPV 431), HDMS Lauge Koch (P572), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) toward high-northern latitudes, where the Northland and Delbert D. Black traveled through the Nuup Kangerlua Fjord, near Nuuk, Greenland. Afterward, the Northland steamed to St. John’s, Newfoundland, before returning to the United States.
On Sept. 18, Northland launched a small boat crew in response to a report of a commercial fisherman who suffered broken ribs. Coordinating with the fishing vessel, Coast Guard First District watch standers and a Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod aircrew, the boat crew embarked the man aboard, transited with him back to the Northland and conducted a medevac aboard an Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to a higher level of care facility.
Northland is the fourth Famous-class medium endurance cutter in the Coast Guard fleet, homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia. The medium endurance cutters execute many missions to include search and rescue, law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, homeland security, and defense operations. Northland is under the command of U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area. Based in Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area oversees all Coast Guard operations east of the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf.