After 10 weeks of dockside maintenance in Long Beach, Calif., the USCGC Hickory and crew returned to Homer last week.

While in Long Beach, contractors performed 26 maintenance projects, including replacing the exterior deck non-skid, renewing the generator mounts, cleaning the engine plant exhaust systems, and refurbishing the cutter’s crane, extension boom and winch motors.

The crew completed more than 30 critical maintenance projects on shipboard systems including the potable water tanks and the reverse osmosis system.

An all-hands effort was required to paint the ship’s exterior superstructure. The crew’s painting effort saved the Coast Guard more than $120,000 in contracted maintenance and left the ship looking better and more protected from Alaska’s harsh maritime environment.

“The entire maintenance period was a resounding success,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Krautler, the Hickory’s commanding officer.

 “We had a contractor that was eager to perform the contracted work with great care, speed and quality. The entire crew also worked tirelessly to complete the work with pride and I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts.”
The primary mission of the Hickory’s crew is servicing more than 170 navigational aids throughout the region’s navigable waterways and ports including Cook Inlet, the Shumagin Islands, Western Kodiak and the Kuskokwim River. The crew also conducts law enforcement, search and rescue, environmental response and community outreach missions, and was deployed to the arctic in 2012 in support of Operation Arctic Shield.
Nicknamed “The Bull of the North,” the Hickory is a 225-foot, sea-going buoy tender