The Walnut, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Honolulu was on routine patrol servicing aids to navigation when they received tasking to assist with this humanitarian mission.
Walnut is transporting a seven-person needs assessment team from the government of New Zealand and will deliver water to the 1,500 Tokelau residents.
The Walnut is a major multi-mission asset for the 14th Coast Guard District. The Walnut is uniquely equipped to perform this mission and was involved in several significant operations within the last 10 years.
In November of 2002, the crew of the Walnut left on a six-month deployment to support the U.S. and Coalition forces in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The cutter crew provided logistical support to coalition forces and established a navigational channel in the Khawr Abd Allah waterway leading to the Iraqi port.
In the summers of 2008 and 2009 the Walnut crew assisted the U.S. Army and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel recover more than 62,000 pounds of marine debris from the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. This debris was delivered to the Hawaiian Electric Company on Oahu where it was converted into electricity.
