National Guard rescues 2 boaters stranded in icy Alaskan waters

A Black Hawk crew found the boaters in a cabin, where they had gone to find shelter, and transported the two men and their dog back to state troopers. A Nome Volunteer Fire Department EMT, left, and two rescued boaters ride in a Nome-based Alaska Army National Guard UH-60L Black Hawk, assigned to the 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion, during a rescue mission over Northwest Alaska on Oct. 6, 2026. (Courtesy photo) Two boaters and their dog were rescued Tuesday by the Alaska National Guard after their boat became trapped in ice about 7 miles north of the Arctic Circle. After the boaters failed to return, state troopers contacted the 176th Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and requested a search-and-rescue team.

The guard sent a UH-60L Black Hawk crew from Nome as well as two volunteer fire department EMTs to support the mission. The crew found the boaters in a cabin, where they had gone to find shelter, and transported the two men and their dog back to state troopers in Kotzebue. The 176th Wing, also known as the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, is a National Guard unit that coordinates search-and-rescue missions and regularly works alongside state and federal agencies. Also on Tuesday, the 176th Wing coordinated the medevac of a 58-year-old man experiencing severe abdominal pain on