Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters decommissioned after 36 years of service in Alaska
A U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr., attends an Air Station Kodiak ceremony to retire the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter airframe in the Arctic region April 23, 2024. The primary mission of Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak is to provide aircraft and crews in support of the Coast Guard's core missions which include: Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, covering 4 million square miles including the Gulf of Alaska, Bristol Bay, Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean above 40N latitude; Enforcement of Laws and Treaties (ELT), primarily focused on the nation's most active fisheries; logistical support of isolated D17 units; Marine Environmental Protection (MEP); Aids to Navigation (ATON); Military Defense; disaster control services and relief; and assistance to numerous local, state, and federal agencies. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Second Class Ian Gray)
Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters decommissioned after 36 years of service in Alaska
Members of Air Station Kodiak attend a ceremony to retire the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter airframe at Air Station Kodiak, April 23, 2024. Air Station Kodiak will be the fourth Coast Guard Air Station to transition to a single rotary-wing ship and shore-based fleet of nine MH-60 Jayhawks in 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Second Class Ian Gray)
Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters decommissioned after 36 years of service in Alaska
U.S. Coast Guard Timothy Williams, commander of Air Station Kodiak, presides over an Air Station Kodiak ceremony to retire the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter airframe April 23, 2024. Air Station Kodiak will be the fourth Coast Guard Air Station to transition to a single rotary-wing ship and shore-based fleet of nine MH-60 Jayhawks in 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Second Class Ian Gray)
Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters decommissioned after 36 years of service in Alaska
U.S. Coast Guard Timothy Williams, commander of Air Station Kodiak, presents an award to Petty Officer Second Class Brenden Thompson during an Air Station Kodiak ceremony to retire the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter airframe April 23, 2024. The HC-130H and HH-60J aircraft serve as the primary search and response assets for Coast Guard District 17. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Second Class Ian Gray)
Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters decommissioned after 36 years of service in Alaska
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter rests at Air Station Kodiak April 23, 2024. Air Station Kodiak will be the fourth Coast Guard Air Station to transition to a single rotary-wing ship and shore-based fleet of nine MH-60 Jayhawks in 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Second Class Ian Gray
/ Published April 24, 2024
KODIAK, Alaska – The Coast Guard retired the Air Station Kodiak MH-65 Dolphin helicopter fleet during a ceremony, Tuesday.
Capt. Timothy Williams, commanding officer of Air Station Kodiak, presided over the ceremony honoring the 36 years of service the MH-65 Dolphin airframe and its crews provided to the Arctic region.
Air Station Kodiak currently has a rotary-wing fleet of six MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters. The unit will shift to a rotary-wing ship-and-shore based fleet of nine MH-60 Jayhawks in 2025.
Air Station Kodiak will be the fourth Coast Guard Air Station to transition to a single rotary wing fleet of MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters. Air Stations Borinquen, Traverse City, and New Orleans all recently completed similar transitions.
"For decades, the cutter and helicopter team were the core of the ALPAT mission,” said Cmdr. James Kenshalo, MH-65 Dolphin pilot. “Together they projected force and protection to the most extreme remote regions of our nation's territories, operating beyond where help could reach. Countless lives have been saved because of these dedicated crews."
Air Station Kodiak’s support of the ALPAT mission evolved from HH-52 Seaguard aircraft to the MH-65 Dolphin in January 1988, providing Coast Guard cutters with a potential airborne asset for patrols across the Arctic, Bering Sea, and Gulf of Alaska.
To read more about the Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters click the following links:
SRR - MH-65 (uscg.mil)
MH-60T Service Life Extension Program (uscg.mil)
