People across the nation were captivated by the recent heroic effort of the Coast Guard icebreaker Healy to guide a fuel tanker to Nome, Alaska. With dramatic aerial photos of the two vessels inching through the thick ice, newscasters and web bloggers chronicled the arduous journey and the drama of the snowbound town that was awaiting the delivery of needed fuel.

A few local families followed the news more closely than the rest of us, anxious for their family members onboard the Healy to complete the mission and return home.

Petty Officer First Class John B. Carter II is one of those Marysville men. A kitchen manager, Carter has served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 21 years, and has been a crewmember aboard the Healy since 1995. He and his family moved to Marysville in 2004.

Other Marysville men also serving on the Healy are Miguel Uribarri IT1 (First Class Information Systems Technician) and Nicolas Orozco DC1 (First Class Damage Controlman).

"This has been his longest tour of duty," said Carter's wife Heidi Carter in a phone interview. "The ship left Seattle May 27, and he was originally scheduled to be home for the holidays."

In early December, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska requested assistance from the Coast Guard to escort the Russian fuel tanker to Nome. Reports in The Nome Nugget explained that the town had enough heating fuel on hand for the winter, but the harsher-than-normal winter weather had made it difficult for residents to get around on foot, and fuel supplies for the town's vehicles were dwindling. The double-hulled Russian ice class tanker T/V Renda, which is certified to travel through four feet of ice, was delivering over a million gallons of Korean diesel vehicle fuel along with 300,000 gallons of gasoline.

The voyage provided the first-ever marine delivery of petroleum products to a western Alaska city in winter, and required a federal waiver of the Jones Act, a maritime law that prohibits transport of products between two U.S. cities by foreign-flagged vessels.

Nome, which has no outside road connections and relies on marine vessels or aircraft for shipment of goods, missed a November delivery of 1.6 million gallons of fuel due to a late fall storm that was considered the worst to hit northwestern Alaska in decades.

The S/V Healy is stationed out of Seattle and usually spends several months at sea between May and early November, hosting scientists and researchers as they conduct experiments in the cold arctic waters. The vessel is designed to accommodate a wide range of research activities, providing more than 4,200 square feet of scientific laboratory space, numerous electronic sensor systems, oceanographic winches, and accommodations for up to 50 scientists. The cutter can break four-and-a-half feet of ice continuously at three knots and can operate in temperatures as low as -50 degrees F.

"John has seen polar bears, walruses and other wildlife in previous deployments," said Carter. "The researchers on board usually notify the crew when they spot something unusual. One time a snowy owl landed on the deck of the ship and he got some great photos of it."

The fuel delivery was anticipated to happen around Jan. 7, but the difficulty of maneuvering through the winter ice delayed the arrival by a week. The Healy and the Renda reached Nome on Jan. 14, after facing Bering Sea ice conditions for more than 300 nautical miles.

Once they maneuvered into position offshore, the vessels had to wait at least twelve hours for the ice to refreeze around them before beginning the fuel transfer.

Families of the crewmembers have limited access to the Healy while it is at sea. Heidi Carter is able to email her husband and send him packages, which are picked up while the vessel is in port, and the Coast Guard command okayed a rare video call using Skype a few days ago.

"It was very clear that this was a one-time thing," said Carter. "He's never been able to make a video call before, but because they'd been gone so long, they made an exception."

The ship's emergency mission meant delaying family holiday plans.

"They were originally supposed to be home Dec. 20," said Carter. Hoping to capture some of the holiday atmosphere her husband missed, she's kept the Christmas tree up, although other decorations are packed away.

"It's an artificial tree, so there's no fire danger," she laughed. "I hope to leave it up until John gets home, but I may not be able to stand it that long."

On Jan. 20, the Healy began breaking ice around the now-empty tanker so the two vessels could start their journeys home. The Renda will return to Russia while the Healy will take on supplies in Dutch Harbor before heading back to Seattle.

"They were scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. this morning (Saturday, Jan. 21), but I just got a text message from John saying they hadn't left yet," Carter said at about 3:15 p.m. that day.

The dock date is estimated for Jan. 30, and the Coast Guard ombudsman is planning a celebration for the crew's homecoming.

"It's usually not a big deal when they return to port, but this time is different," said Carter. "We've really missed John, and the crew deserves recognition for their accomplishments. A big 'welcome home' party is a great idea."

The Carters are parents to two children, Ashley, 17 and a senior at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, and 2-year-old J.R.

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