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After 56 days at sea HEALY moored on schedule in Tromso, Norway on the morning of the 30th of September. We will be in Tromso through the 4th of October for some well-earned rest and relaxation. At the end of our visit we’ll be taking on a half-million gallons of fuel – more than enough to see us home to Seattle – and heading for our next portcall in Dublin, Ireland. This week started in open seas just west of Spitsbergen Island (known to the Norwegians as Svalbard). We sailed south and then east to Norway, waking Thursday morning to the first sight of land since leaving Alaska. HEALY closed the Norwegian coast a day before arriving so that our two helicopters could be flown ashore. The crew said farewell to our aviation detachment and the aviators took off under clear skies for a beautiful flight through the fjords to the Tromso airport, where 2 Coast Guard C-130 aircraft were waiting to ferry the helicopters back to the states. On our last night at sea we were treated to a gorgeous viewing of the Northern Lights. No way to describe that, so I’m not going to try. The following morning we were up early to pick up our Norwegian ship’s pilot at 6 AM for the 40 mile transit through the mountain-lined fjords leading to Tromso. HEALY tied up at the Breivika pier in Tromso at 10 AM and the crew set to the hard work of offloading science equipment and onloading pallets of mail and supplies. By 5 PM we were able to grant liberty to the crew. Tromso is a city of 66,000 and is known to Norwegians as the Gateway to the Arctic. The weather is fairly mild due to the Gulf Stream influence, so the port is ice-free all year. Amunsen and Nansen both started and ended their famous Arctic expeditions from Tromso, and the town celebrates these achievements with a beautiful “Arctic Chapel” – built to resemble arctic ice, it can be seen from anywhere in town – and a polar museum which was opened to our crew free of charge. Tromso is also remarkably expensive. While one US dollar will buy 6.4 Norwegian Kroners, everything costs a LOT of Kroners. Half a liter of Coke? 3 bucks. Care for a beer? That will be 10 bucks. A pizza will set you back forty US dollars We said goodbye to some great shipmates in Tromso. Seaman Kenneth McWilliams and Fireman Deke Jeffreys both departed for schools where they will learn their petty officer skills. Chief Charlie Diaz left HEALY for transfer to the cutter SYCAMORE in Cordova, Alaska. And our ‘ice chart wizard,’ US Navy Aerographer’s Mate Gene Swope, headed back to his comfortable desk at the National Ice Center. New shipmates have already replaced the old, however. We welcomed Seaman Robert Kenny and Seaman Joseph Abel, reporting from basic training. After fueling on Tuesday the 4th we will set sail across the Norwegian Sea for Dublin, Ireland, where we will arrive on the 10th. For Captain Dan Oliver, Command Master Chief Pete Perron and myself, thanks for all your support. You’ll hear from us again next week.
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The Coast Guard Cutter Healy, homeported in Seattle, Washington.
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