The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Stratton and Canadian Coast Guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier took part in a search-and-rescue exercise Oct. 12 near Point Hope, Alaska.
Both crews practiced maneuvers with an unmanned craft that simulated being a ship in need of help, complete with an imitation distress call, according to the Coast Guard.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier responded to the call and alerted USCG’s District 17 Command Center, and Stratton, a 418-foot national security cutter, used an aerial drone to find the “distressed” vessel, which was recovered.
“Exercises such as this help strengthen our international partnerships and increase our emergency response effectiveness in the remote region,” Stratton‘s commanding officer, Capt. Stephen Adler said. “We’re grateful to our Canadian partners.”
“The Arctic makes for a challenging environment and we look forward to any training opportunities to ensure that we are ready to assist and coordinate should a situation arise,” he added.
