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The winds of change hovered over Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City. The summer of 2017 marked the end of an era for the air station as they bid farewell to their venerable MH-65 Dolphins and completed a transition to the versatile Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk. The change not only saw the departure of the sleek aircraft from the station's area of responsibility, but also the MH-65 flight crews who had called Traverse City their home for many years. It was a bittersweet occasion.
The Dolphins and their crews leave behind an impressive record of service to the Great Lakes region. Since first being deployed to the region in 1995, the MH-65s amassed over 63,000 hours of flight time, responded to over 4,600 distress calls and saved 208 lives. This record is even more impressive given the limited size and range of the Dolphin and its limitations in adverse weather.
The introduction of the Jayhawk is a 'game changer' for Air Station Traverse City. The air station's Area of Responsibility (AOR) is vast and the winter weather can be extremely challenging. Furthermore, summer months see waterways clogged with thousands of boaters on any given day. The MH-60 will enable CGAS Traverse City to be more versatile in their responses to a variety of missions including, but not limited to, search and rescue. The Jayhawk has longer range, more carrying capacity (up to 15 passengers in an emergency) and longer loiter/hover time over a search area. In addition, the Jayhawks are more adept at operating over a wider array of weather conditions. Its anti-ice systems enable it to operate during the harsh and bitterly cold Great Lakes winters.
MH-60 crews spent several months familiarizing themselves with their new AOR, and were ready to assume the mission long before the last Traverse City Dolphin departed the ramp for the last time. We wish our friends in the Dolphin community well in their next assignments. We know they have left the Great Lakes in very capable hands.