The Coast Guard Cutter Alder will return to Duluth about 9 a.m. today after a 56-day deployment in the Canadian Arctic.
The Alder left Duluth on July 12 to participate in a Canadian exercise to improve the capacity of Arctic allies to respond to security threats and emergencies in the polar region, a Coast Guard news release said. The Alder participated with forces from the U.S. Navy, the Canadian navy and coast guard and the Danish navy.
The exercise took place in the northernmost region of the high Arctic in Lancaster Sound, about 1,800 miles northeast of Duluth.
Coast Guard divers participated in the exercise's finale, which involved responding to a simulated oil pollution incident.
"(The) Alder safely navigated more than 8,500 miles through lots of fog, rain and heavy seas amongst many icebergs and whales while also witnessing beautiful fjords and a quick glimpse of a polar bear," said Lt. Cmdr. MaryEllen Durley, the Alder's commanding officer, in a statement upon completion of the exercise.
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The Alder is a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender that conducts aids to navigation and ice-breaking missions in Lake Superior.
