USCGC Adak ( WPB - 1333 ) USCGC " Adak " ( WPB - 1333 ) receives her namesake from the island Adak in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska . " Adak " was placed in commission on August 18 , 1989 at Bolinger Shipyard in Lockport , Louisiana . " Adak " and the other 48 s ' construction are based on the internationally known Vosper - Thornycraft design . Her hull is a semi - displacement type monohull made of high strength steel , while the main deck and superstructure are aluminum . " Adak " employs an active fin stabilization system to improve her sea keeping abilities . With a top speed in excess of and a cruising speed of , the ship is capable of enduring unsupported operations for six days and accommodates three officers and nineteen enlisted personnel . As of January 2011 , the Adak was one of the cutters featured prominently on the desktop wallpaper page of the Coast Guard ' s website . " Island " - class Patrol Boat Overview . The 110 ' " Island " - class patrol boats are a U . S . Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British - designed patrol boat . With excellent range and seakeeping capabilities , the Island class , all named after U . S . islands , replaced the older 95 - foot Cape - class patrol boats . These cutters are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment and are used on the front lines of the Coast Guard ' s Maritime Homeland Security , Migrant Interdiction , Fisheries Enforcement , and Search - and - Rescue missions . The Patrol Boats are also currently deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . Stateside Service - Prior to Deployment to Patrol Forces Southwest Asia . " USCGC ADAK " was originally stationed in Sandy Hook , New Jersey . Before " ADAKs " commissioning ceremony in August 1989 in New Jersey however , " ADAK " had already completed six maritime rescues . After stopping the " F / V HUNTER " off the coast of New York in 1991 , " ADAKs " boarding team found 10 , 771 pounds of cocaine worth over $ 861 million at the time . This was the third largest cocaine bust up to that date . On the evening of September 18 , 1992 " ADAK " rescued a missing diver off the coast of Shinnecock , Long Island . During its search for the missing diver from dive boat " CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT " the crew saw a dim light which upon investigation turned out to be the flashlight of the missing diver . The diver had been lost for five hours at that point . In August 1994 , " ADAK " took part in Operation Able Vigil , an effort made up of over 50 US Coast Guard and Navy ships , and many other varied assets , making up the largest Coast Guard led naval operation since World War II . From 19 August to 23 September 1994 Operation Able Vigil forces rescued over 29 , 000 Cuban migrants from unsafe rafts and makeshift craft . For its part in the operation " ADAK " earned the Coast Guard Unit Commendation . In April 1996 , while on patrol off Puerto Rico , " ADAK " rescued 118 Dominican migrants from two dangerously overloaded and unseaworthy boats . " ADAK " was witness to the crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island , NY on July 17 , 1996 . The cutter was only 15 NM away when the crash occurred and immediately headed to the scene . During " ADAKs " stateside service she conducted many successful fisheries patrols enforcing maritime laws and treaties and ensuring the safety of fishermen . In August 1999 , she received the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for her work from June 1997 to June 1999 doing Living Marine Resources patrols . During this time " ADAK " issued eleven Magnuson Fishery Conservation Act violations , five of those resulting in catch seizures that , together , totalled over $ 160 , 000 . After the attacks on the World Trade Center towers on September 11 , 2001 , " USCGC HAWSER " , homeported in Bayonne , NJ , was the first on scene in New York harbor and acted as On - Scene Commander . USCGC ADAK arrived on scene an hour later and took over On - Scene Commander responsibilities . For hours " ADAK " coordinated the evacuation of civilians , transport of firefighters and rescue personnel , and the establishment of security zones to protect other high valued assets from further attack . For " ADAKs " part in the response to the attacks of September 11 , " ADAK " received The Secretarys Outstanding Unit Award . Initial actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom . The maritime conditions of Iraq and the Northern Persian Gulf can greatly limit the operations of large naval vessels and warships . Due to this and the navy ’ s lack of in - shore patrol craft , a large part of the U . S . Navy ’ s request for Coast Guard assistance in Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) centered on the service ’ s shallow - draft patrol boats . Cutters of the 110 - foot Island class , also known as WPBs , would serve as the mainstay of shallow - water operations . The deployment of the 110 - foot patrol boat Adak serves as a snapshot of WPB operations in OIF . Deployment of the WPBs overseas would represent the first combat deployment of Coast Guard patrol boats since the Vietnam War , even though other Coast Guard assets had served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the 1990s . In early February 2003 , the Coast Guard ’ s Atlantic Area Command deployed to the Persian Gulf the WPBs " Adak " , " Aquidneck " , " Baranof " and " Wrangell " . The 110s arrived in Bahrain at the beginning of March having ridden on board for thirty - five days . On March 5 , a heavy - lift crane off - loaded the WPBs taking only six hours to set all four in the water . " Adak " ran through sea trials for two days and on March 9 , " Adak " and sister ship " Aquidneck " deployed to the Persian Gulf followed by " Baranof " and " Wrangell " on March 12 . In the days leading up to combat operations , " Adak " focused on maritime interdiction operations . Coalition vessels had restricted passage of local watercraft out of the Khawr Abd Allah ( KAA ) Waterway , thinking that these vessels might carry mines or escaping Iraqi officials . By mid - March , local watercraft had attempted several breakouts with fleets of dhows and small boats and , on March 17 , a large breakout consisting of sixty Iraqi watercraft attempted to evade Coalition units . With the vessels scattering in all directions , " Adak " , " Wrangell " and their small boats , aided by other Coalition units , managed to corral all of the Iraqi watercraft and board them . None of the vessels carried escaping Iraqi leaders and all had discharged any illegal cargoes typical of small smuggling vessels . After boarding teams had thoroughly searched the dhows , " Adak " and the other patrol vessels allowed the watercraft to proceed along a specific route into the northern area of the Persian Gulf . In the early morning hours of March 20 , Coalition forces initiated combat operations with air attacks against key military targets in Baghdad . In addition , Coalition forces had to secure Iraq ’ s Khor al - Amaya Oil Terminal and Mina al Bakr Oil Terminal to prevent environmental attack by the Iraqi regime . On the evening of March 20 , SEAL teams supported by Polish Special Forces personnel , stormed the oil facilities . During the operation , " Adak " , along with " Baranof " , maintained security around the terminals to prevent reinforcement or escape by Iraqi military forces . After the SEALs cleared the terminals of Iraqi personnel , weapons and explosives , Coast Guard personnel from Port Security Units 311 and 313 arrived to secure the facilities . Next " Adak " received orders to patrol the KAA Waterway , so by the early morning hours of March 21 , " Adak " had steamed up the KAA to serve as a guard ship . In fact , of the 146 Coalition naval units in the Persian Gulf , " Adak " stationed itself deepest in enemy territory and served as the “ tip of the spear ” for Coalition naval forces . During its early morning patrol , " Adak " and navy patrol " Chinook " surprised and stopped two down - bound Iraqi tugboats , including one towing a barge , and ordered them to anchor . At first , the vessels raised no suspicions for they ordinarily serviced tankers and smaller watercraft that plied local waters . But the two patrol vessels continued guarding the tugs and a special boarding team composed of Australian and American explosives experts searched the tugs and barge and found concealed within them a total of seventy contact and acoustic mines . Had they been released , the mines could have sunk or heavily damaged Coalition naval vessels operating in the Persian Gulf . The team secured the tugs and " Chinook " transported the tug crews back to a Coalition naval vessel for processing . The captain of one of the mine - laying tugs admitted that the sight of the “ white patrol boat ” had prevented him from deploying his deadly cargo . Throughout March 21 , the captain and crew of " Adak " experienced a great deal of excitement . At 06 : 00 , Australian and British frigates began naval fire support operations in what became known as “ Five - Inch Friday . ” The warships poured nearly 200 rounds of four - and - a - half - and five - inch shells into the Iraqi defenses while " Adak " screened the vessels to ensure that no unauthorized watercraft approached . During this time , Mackenzie and his men felt buffeting from the explosions of hundreds of bombs and shells lobbed on shore . British Royal Marines , supported by U . S . Navy and Royal Navy hovercraft , commenced the amphibious assault on the Al Faw Peninsula ; the largest amphibious operation carried out since the Korean War . During the landings , an Iraqi PB - 90 patrol boat had been cruising upstream on the KAA Waterway and positioned itself where it could threaten low - flying Coalition helicopters and provide early warning reports to land - based Iraqi forces on the Al Faw Peninsula . To engage the PB - 90 , the Coalition command center vectored in an AC - 130 gunship , which destroyed the Iraqi vessel . Afterward , a Coalition helicopter spotted three surviving crewmembers floating down the KAA and notified " Adak " of their location . The WPB recovered the three hypothermic Iraqis at 8 : 30 a . m . and transferred the prisoners to an Australian naval vessel for processing . Coalition experts later identified the men as warrant officers from Iraq ’ s Republican Guard . After Coalition forces wrapped up the initial phase of combat operations , Coalition planners focused on opening the KAA Waterway to vessel traffic . Wrecks from the Iran - Iraq War and the First Gulf War still littered the KAA and its shores , but mines proved a greater concern . Some mines still remained in the waterway from Operation Desert Storm . Minesweeping operations began on March 22 with navy Sea Dragon helicopters towing minesweeping sleds along the waterway . Mackenzie received orders for " Adak " to join sister ship " Wrangell " , and navy patrol craft " Chinook " and " Firebolt " to escort U . S . Navy and Royal Navy minesweepers up the KAA . The process proved slow as the minesweepers proceeded at a rate of three knots up the forty - mile channel to the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr . The patrol boats had to stand off 1 , 000 yards from the minesweeping vessels and they often had to station themselves upriver from the minesweepers . On several occasions , the minesweepers located mines in waters previously navigated by the WPBs and , on one occasion , " Adak " s crew listened as the patrol boat contacted a mine that came to the surface and failed to detonate . It took about a week to complete mine - clearing operations on the KAA and with Umm Qasr in Coalition hands , cargo vessels could begin steaming into the Iraqi port . Naval combat operations concluded near the end of March , but " Adak " joined the other WPBs to continue their force protection role and served as escorts while navy salvage vessels " Catawba " and " Grapple " removed obstructions in the waterway . On March 28 , Coalition forces sent the first shipload of humanitarian aid into Umm Qasr on board the shallow draft Royal Fleet Auxiliary " Sir Galahad " under the escort of " Adak " , " Wrangell " , a minesweeper and patrol craft " Firebolt " . " Adak " and its crew continued escort duties along the KAA into early April . On April 11 , " Adak " escorted Iraq ’ s first commercial shipment on board , which carried 700 tons of Red Crescent Society aid of food , water , medical supplies and transport vehicles . Meanwhile , " Adak " received orders to return to base and , on April 12 , " Adak " redeployed to Bahrain after completing a thirty - five day non - stop deployment to the NAG . On April 9 , organized resistance had ceased in Baghdad , followed in mid - April by a cessation of resistance in most other Iraqi cities . On May 1 , President George Bush announced the end of combat operations in Iraq and the Coalition ’ s offensive operations came to a close . During OIF , " Adak " , its sister ships and their crews brought many vital capabilities to the theater of operations . The patrol boats operated for many hours without maintenance in waters too shallow for most naval vessels and served as the fleet ’ s workhorses in boarding , escort duty , force protection and maritime interdiction operations . The characteristic white hulls of the WPBs also provided a less antagonizing presence in a highly volatile region . As in past Coast Guard combat missions , such as Vietnam , Coast Guard patrol boats and personnel exceeded all expectations in shallow - water and in - shore maritime operations . Given the frequency that hostilities erupt in the world ’ s littoral regions , shallow - draft Coast Guard units and their specialized personnel will continue to play an important part in future naval operations . Commanding officers . July 2003 to Current : OCONUS : Prior to 2003 : CONUS :