C.G. Kodiak Plane Spots Russian, Chinese Vessels

By Sentinel Staff
The U.S. Coast Guard on a routine patrol Saturday located two Russian Border Guard vessels and two from the Chinese Coast Guard on a joint patrol, but the Coast Guard said today that all the vessels were in Russia’s exclusive economic zone, some 440 miles southwest of St. Lawrence Island.
The Coast Guard said today that this is the northernmost location that the U.S. has seen Chinese Coast Guard vessels.
The four ships were transiting in formation in a northeastern direction, and stayed about five miles inside the Russian Exclusive Economic Zone. They were spotted by an Air Station Kodiak HC-130J Super Hercules plane on a regular patrol of the maritime boundary between the United States and Russia, in the Bering Sea.
“This recent activity demonstrates the increased interest in the Arctic by our strategic competitors,” Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, said in a news release. “The demand for Coast Guard services across the region continues to grow, requiring continuous investment in our capabilities to meet our strategic competitors’ presence and fulfill our statutory missions across an expanding operational area.”
     The Air Station Kodiak C-130 was part of Operation Frontier Sentinel, which is an operation “designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters,” the Coast Guard said.

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20 YEARS AGO

October 2004

The Sitka High School baseball, softball, football and football cheerleading programs got a boost Tuesday when the School Board unanimously approved $17,000 in coaching stipends for the sports. The programs, which were started by community members and hadn’t received district funding before, will remain responsible for paying their own travel expenses.

50 YEARS AGO

October 1974

Photo caption: Howard Fitzgerald collects his trophy and cash prize from Sitka Chamber of Commerce President Gordon Harang, several days after the Sept. 8 demolition derby held at Granite Creek gravel pit. Fitzgerald, sponsored by A&T Enterprises, eliminated six other autos in the final championship jousting. Tex Armer, also of A&T, was second and Bud Niesen was third.



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