Coast Guard to test jet boat in shallow, silty Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s northern coast

Coast Guard to test jet boat in Arctic Ocean

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Looking to find a small boat that can operate in shallow, silty Arctic Ocean waters off Alaska’s northern beaches, the Coast Guard this month will test a 28-foot jet boat that drafts just two feet.

The boat, manufactured by Metal Shark Aluminum Boats of Jeanerette, La., can operate in water two to three feet deep and in waves up to eight feet high.

Lt. Glenn Katsuki (CAT’-skee) is one of four Coast Guardsmen trained to test it. He says small boats used in the Arctic Ocean last year were susceptible to propeller damage in the shallow seas.

The Coast Guard has increased its presence off northern Alaska as global warming has caused ice to recede for longer periods of the summer.