USCGC Munro ( WHEC - 724 ) USCGC " Munro " ( WHEC - 724 ) is a High Endurance Cutter of the United States Coast Guard , named for Signalman First Class Douglas A . Munro ( 1919 – 1942 ) , the only Coast Guardsman to be awarded the Medal of Honor . The vessel is currently commanded by Jeff W . Thomas ( June 2013 – Present ) , and as of September 4 , 2007 is stationed in Kodiak , Alaska . " Munro " was commissioned on September 27 , 1971 , at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans , Louisiana . The tenth of twelve 378 - foot ( 115 m ) cutters , she was the first to be named after a Coast Guard hero . The previously commissioned 378 - footers had been named for former secretaries of the Treasury , a tradition that began in 1830 when a cutter was named for Alexander Hamilton . Secretary of Transportation John A . Volpe and Douglas Munro ' s mother , Edith , were on hand to commission the " Munro " . The ship ' s original complement included 17 officers and 143 enlisted men , under the command of the ship ' s first Commanding Officer , Captain John T . Rouse . 1970s . The dedication of the ship took place on April 15 , 1972 , at " Munro " ' s first homeport of Boston , Massachusetts . Secretary Volpe was once again on hand , retelling the story of Douglas Munro and reminding the crew of the honor they had to bear the name of that hero . While operating out of Boston , the ship ' s original missions included ocean station patrol and search and rescue . The stay in Boston was not to last long , however , as the " Munro " shifted to a new homeport of Seattle , Washington , on August 29 , 1973 . The " Seattle Post - Intelligencer " hailed the arrival of " Two ( " Munro " and " Boutwell " ) of the newest , finest ships in the Coast Guard fleet . " Seattle was also especially receptive to the " Munro " because Douglas Munro himself had been a resident of Cle Elum , a small town in Washington State . While operating out of Seattle , the " Munro " became more active in the fisheries enforcement mission and less active in the ocean station mission , which was quickly being made obsolete by technological advances . Alaskan fisheries were especially busy and controversial at this time . In 1971 , for instance , the combined Japan ese , Russia n , Canadian , and South Korean fishing fleets had caught about ten times as many fish as the U . S . fleet did . Coast Guard action was badly needed to regulate the practices of these foreign fleets . " Munro " performed this mission admirably and with many successes , including the seizure of the Korean longliner " Dong Won No . 51 " in June 1979 . 1980s . In 1980 , the ship moved to yet another new homeport : Honolulu , Hawaii . While conducting training with the Japan Coast Guard in 1983 the " Munro " was called upon to aid in the rescue and salvage operations for Korean Air Flight 007 in the Sea of Japan . In 1986 , " Munro " interdicted the motor vessel " Line Island Trader " , which had been attempting to enter the U . S . with 4 . 5 tons of marijuana . Later that same year , the ship underwent an extensive three - year Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization ( FRAM ) program . Weapons systems were upgraded and many portions of the cutter were remodeled . Upon being re - commissioned in November 1989 , " Munro " was homeported at Coast Guard Island in Alameda , California . 1990s and 2000s . In 1997 , the cutter seized the Russia n fishing trawler " Chernyayevo " in the Bering Sea for violation of the Magnuson - Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976 , setting an important precedent for law enforcement along the U . S . / Russia maritime boundary . In 1998 , " Munro " intercepted the Chinese vessel " Chih Yung " , carrying 172 people attempting to illegally enter the U . S . In 1999 , the cutter interdicted the fishing vessel " Eduardo I " , carrying 83 illegal Ecuador ian migrants . Also in 1998 , " Munro " interdicted the Mexican vessel " Xolescuintle " , seizing 11 . 5 tons of cocaine , one of the largest drug seizures in Coast Guard history . In 1999 , the cutter seized the motor vessel " Wing Fung Lung " , carrying 259 illegal Chinese migrants . In 2003 , the cutter interdicted the fishing vessel " Candy I " with 4 tons of cocaine . In 2003 , the cutter interdicted two " go - fast " boats with 2 tons of cocaine using warning shots across the bow of one with an MH - 68 " Stingray " Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron ( HITRON ) . The other was dead reckoned based on its course and speed while " Munro " was on turbines for 16hrs before interdicting the second . The second " go - fast " then proceeded to light itself on fire to destroy the bales on board the vessel , but " Munro " ' s crew quickly sank the vessel and later recovered approx 139 bales of cocaine . Four traffickers were recovered with two needing medical assistance from the " Munro " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s Corpsman . From December 2004 to June 2005 , " Munro " operated in the Persian Gulf with the " Bonhomme Richard " Expeditionary Strike Group . During the " Out of Hemisphere " patrol " Munro " contributed in the relief efforts of the 2004 tsunami providing food and water to Indonesia and later seizing a vessel overtaken by pirates off the Horn of Africa . In 2006 the cutter interdicted two " go - fast " boats working in tandem with 2 tons of cocaine using disabling shots with an MH - 68 " Stingray " Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron ( HITRON ) . As of September 4 , 2007 , The " Munro " is home - ported in Kodiak , Alaska . On March 23 , 2008 , the " Munro " served a vital role in rescuing the survivors of the FV " Alaska Ranger " when it sank west of Dutch Harbor . The " Munro " deployed its HH - 65 Dolphin helicopter to the sinking site , and received 20 of the surviving fishermen . The story of this rescue is detailed in " Deadliest Sea : The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History " by Kalee Thompson . As " Aviation Week & Space Technology " states , " The USCG deems the operation the largest cold - water rescue in its history . " The " Munro " also made an appearance in an episode of the Discovery Channel series " Deadliest Catch " , conducting search and rescue operations following the loss of the fishing vessel " Ocean Challenger " . The " Munro " continues to serve in the surrounding area . It was also featured in the BBC series " Full Circle with Michael Palin " in 1997 , as the presenter was on the ship at the end of his documentary circumnavigation of the Pacific Rim .