Tag Archives: MV Asterix

Clocking in Jointly on a multi-mission Alaska Arctic patrol

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The USCGC Waesche (WMSL 751), one of four frigate-sized Legend-class national security cutters homeported in Alameda, returned home this week from a 105-day Arctic deployment spanning over 21,000 nautical miles.

Besides close surveillance on several interloping Chinese government-owned research ships in the greater Alaskan sea frontier, the 413-foot Waesche got in lots of multi-national and multi-service joint ops with USAF HH-60 Pave Hawks during NORTHCOM’s Exercise Arctic Edge 2025, where the cutter served as a Forward Afloat Staging Base, executing a complex, multi-agency assault of a mock target of interest. The operation showcased seamless integration between Waesche, Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team West, U.S. Navy SEALs, and the Alaska Air National Guard to rapidly respond to domestic threats.”

Members of Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team West, USCGC Waesche (751), and Special Operations Forces transit on an Over the Horizon cutter boat during Arctic Edge 2025 near Nome, Alaska, Aug. 10, 2025. AE25 is a North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise designed to improve readiness, demonstrate capabilities, and enhance Joint and Allied Force interoperability in the Arctic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Snell)

A member of the Navy Seals converges with Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) and Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters during Arctic Edge 2025 near Nome, Alaska, Aug. 10, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo 250810-G-CY518-1003 by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Snell)

Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) and Special Operations Force crews transit on Over the Horizon cutter boats in the Bering Sea, August 10, 2025.  (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Snell)

Of note, the mock seizure seems to be on the Alaska-based NOAAS Fairweather (S 220), a 231-foot survey ship, which surely isn’t a message to the Chinese research ships in the region.

An Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crew simulates a hoist above the Fairweather during Arctic Edge 2025 in the Bering Sea, Aug. 10, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Snell)

The cutter also did steaming and gunnery drills (both 57mm and CIWS) with the Canadian frigate HMCS Regina (FFH 334) in the Bering Sea during Operation Latitude including “passenger exchange, a mock boarding, cross-deck hoist operations with Regina’s CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, air support from a U.S. Coast Guard C-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak and a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora [P-3 Orion].”

 

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL-751) and Royal Canadian Navy His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Regina, sail alongside each other as a USCG Air Station Kodiak HC-130 and Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora fly overhead during Operation Latitude in the Bering Sea, Alaska, Aug. 25, 2025. Canadian-led Operation Latitude, in conjunction with Alaskan Command and U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District, focused on increasing domain awareness in the High North and enhancing interoperability between Canada and the United States. (Courtesy photo 250825-O-EZ530-2080 by Canadian Armed Forces Master Corporal William Gosse)

Besides working with Regina, Waesche also worked separately with the Canadian OPV HMCS Max Bernays and successfully conducted “the Coast Guard’s first-ever fueling at sea in the Alaskan theater with the Royal Canadian Navy replenishment oiler MV Asterix – accomplished in 6-8 foot seas with sustained 30-knot winds.”

United States Coast Guard Cutter Waesche receiving fuel during a Replenishment At Sea with Naval Replenishment Unit Asterix during Operation Latitude on 9 September 2025. Photo: S3 Owen Davis, Canadian Armed Forces.

In all, a very robust patrol it would seem.

Bertholfs Hitting it Hard

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The Coast Guard only has 10 Legend (Bertholf) class National Security Cutters to its name.

Ordered starting in 2005 to replace the long-serving Vietnam-era 378-foot Hamilton-class cutters that had almost 50 years on their hulls, the Bertholfs are the largest non-logistics/icebreaker cutters the service has ever had, pushing 418 feet oal with a 4,600-ton displacement.

They have a lot going for them, with an economical CODAG engineering plant that allows for a 12,000nm range when on patrol and bursts of “over 28 knots,” they have extensive helicopter/UAV support facilities and a modest self-defense capability.

When it comes to sensors, while they aren’t in the same category as a true frigate, they have decent air/surface-search radars, IFF/TACAN, a SLQ-32 EW suite, and a sonar that reportedly has mine-hunting capabilities.

While great for busting smugglers and policing duties, the NSCs are armed akin to an LCS…

Importantly, they have all the goodies needed to operate as part of a modern naval task force including Link 11 and Link 16 and underway replenishment gear, allowing them to both tank and transfer from larger vessels and send to smaller ones– which allows them a “mother ship” role to smaller cutters on a deployment.

As some proof in the pudding, three of the service’s Bertholfs were recently underway in three different parts of the world, adding a speck of white to otherwise haze gray formations.

USCGC Midgett (WMSL-757), taking part in RIMPAC ’24 off Hawaii, was captured in a great shot last week conducting a dual transfer with the Italian Thaon di Revel-class offshore patrol vessel ITS Raimondo Montecuccoli (P432) from the Royal Canadian Navy replenishment ship MV Asterix.

Photo by Royal Canadian Navy Sailor First Class Brendan McLoughlin.

Meanwhile, the crew of the USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) returned to their home port in North Charleston last week following a 63-day patrol in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea in support of homeland defense and counterdrug operations.

During her deployment, she steamed in tandem with U.S. Second Fleet and Canadian Joint Task Force-Atlantic maritime forces.

Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332) and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone (WMSL 758) steam in formation, on June 9, 2024, while underway in the Atlantic Ocean. Stone and Ville de Québec operated in the Atlantic Ocean in the U.S. 2nd Fleet area of operations in support of maritime stability and security in the region. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Alana Kickhoefer)

Likewise, the crew of the USCGC James (WMSL 754) returned to their home port in North Charleston last week after completing a 98-day patrol in the South Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

While down south, James worked along with the George Washington Carrier Group, called in several Latin American ports, conducted a live fire exercise, and steamed alongside ships from Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil.

Legend-class cutter USCGC James (WSML 754), left, and Brazilian navy Niterói-class frigates União (F 45) and Independência (F 44) operate in formation with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) as part of a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and the Brazilian navy in the Atlantic Ocean, May 18, 2024. Porter is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2024 which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility through joint, multinational, and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David C. Fines)

Besides these three Bertholfs, keep in mind that a fourth member of the class, USCGC Waesche (WMSL-751), is still underway in the Westpac and has been operating in the South China Sea with white hulled partners from South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines.

(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Julia VanLuven)

Going further, a fifth Bertholf, USCGC Kimball (WMSL-756), has been bird-dogging a Chinese task force that was poking around the Aleutians earlier this month.

That’s five very busy hulls out of the ten the Coast Guard has. Talk about punching above its weight class.

Snowy UNREP

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Via Forces Canada, the ASW frigate HMCS Halifax (FFH 330) completes a snowy replenishment at sea with Naval Replenishment Unit (NRU) Asterix “just in time to watch the sunset” earlier this month.

Photo by Lt(N) Laura Virgin

Note the orange-stocked C7 line thrower. Photo by SLt Stephanie Nicol

Asterix is a converted 23,792 DWT container ship Canada purchased in 2015 to fill in until an AOE could be built from the keel up. Photo by SLt Stephanie Nicol

Now go get warm!

One heck of a RIMPAC line

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(U.S. Navy photo by Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Steven Robles/Released)

“PACIFIC OCEAN (June 24, 2018) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104), front, participates in a photo exercise with Chilean frigate Almirante Lynch (FF-07), second, Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341), third, French Navy Floreal-class frigate FS Prairial (F-731), fourth, United States Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL-750), fifth, the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), sixth, and Royal Canadian Navy replenishment ship NRU Asterix (H-123). Sterett is part of Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group scheduled to participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2018. ”

Interestingly, the newest (to naval service) of the above is the auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessel MV Asterix, a 26,000-ton Liberian-flagged commercial container ship converted and taken into service by the Royal Canadian Navy just four months ago to fill the gap left in the RCNs retirement of their 1960s-era Protecteur-class auxiliaries.

Asterix carries two CH-148 Cyclones and a number of small boats including RHIBS and LCVPs and, according to the RCN, “The vessel can carry 10,000 tons of marine fuel and over 100 tons of aviation fuel with large freshwater tanks. In addition, MV Asterix can provide a large-scale medical response with a fully fitted hospital. It also contains an emergency dormitory for up to 350 evacuees. What is more, the vessel’s galleys are well suited for major humanitarian operations. They can provide 500 cooked meals per hour.”

Asterix is planned to be under contract with Ottawa until 2021(ish) when the second of the two planned Queenston-class support ships will join the fleet.

Also, six ships from three Commonwealth Navies sailed in company across the Pacific Ocean on the way to Hawaii in a flattop-centric task force.

HMA Ships Adelaide, Melbourne, Success and Toowoomba were joined by HMCS Vancouver of the Royal Canadian Navy and HMNZS Te Mana of the Royal New Zealand Navy. The ships conducted Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres and flying operations during the transit.

Imagery by ABIS Christopher Szumlanski © Commonwealth of Australia