Bowhead Holds Vessel Dedication Ceremony at Dauphin Island, Alabama

Saavgaq Vessel Dedication Ceremony Press Release

UIC Government Services and the Bowhead Family of Companies held a vessel dedication ceremony in honor of Clifford Saavgaq Okpeaha, one of the company’s esteemed Iñupiat shareholders, on Sept. 8, 2023, at the Dauphin Island Marina in Alabama.

The vessel, bearing the name Saavgaq, symbolizes the company’s commitment to acknowledging and celebrating the contributions of its Alaska Native shareholders. Clifford Saavgaq Okpeaha was a well-respected member of the Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) community in Alaska and served as the Barrow Volunteer Search and Rescue Coordinator for over 30 years.

Saavgaq is remembered as an expert mariner and teacher committed to serving the people of Utqiaġvik and the entire North Slope of Alaska. The UIC Board of Directors selected the name Saavgaq for Bowhead’s newest vessel to honor his lifetime dedication to community service and deep maritime experience.

“Saavgaq – Clifford Okpeaha, Sr., was a man who was always at the ready to help,” said Dr. Pearl Brower, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC) President and CEO. “Whether it was a search on the water, across the tundra, in a boat, on a snow machine, in a helicopter, or by foot. Whether it was day or night, summer or winter, rainy, snowy, 60 below zero with zero visibility, Saavgaq was there. Nothing held him back from being of service to his people and his community.”

The ceremony was attended by members of Saavgaq’s family, UIC executive leadership, and members of the UIC Board of Directors, who traveled all the way from Utqiaġvik, Alaska, to Dauphin Island, Alabama, for the event. Dauphin Island community members and local media representatives also attended the ceremony.

The Saavgaq vessel is a 1973 U.S. Coast Guard 41-foot utility boat (previously USCG #41306). The vessel was in active Coast Guard service for about 30 years and then Coast Guard Auxiliary service for an additional 10 years, all in the Great Lakes region.

The vessel now has a new home with Bowhead, where it will continue to support the Coast Guard in the greater Mobile Bay area. The Saavgaq will significantly contribute to the mission critical support Bowhead provides the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile. It will increase Bowhead’s capacity to provide vital training support that enhances its operations and capabilities in safeguarding our nation’s maritime interests.

“In my 14 years with the Bowhead Family of Companies, today is the best example I have of culture and mission, said Michael Hundley, UIC Government Services Senior Vice President of Operations. “Clifford Saavgaq performed search and rescue for over 30 years on the North Slope, assisting those who were in need. Today, as you see, the newly named vessel Saavgaq trains our young men and women in the Coast Guard to perform similar search and rescue missions. Clifford Saavgaq made a difference and the vessel named in his honor will continue to make a difference as a Coast Guard training asset.”

With the addition and dedication of the new Saavgaq vessel, Bowhead now owns and operates a total of three vessels in support of the U.S. Coast Guard and Aviation Training Center Mobile.

“I know that our new vessel will meet each and every day with the tenacity, stalwartness, and service to the coastal community that Saavgaq did,” said Brower. “This vessel holds huge responsibility – being named after someone like Saavgaq. I have no doubt the crew will meet the responsibility head on. This vessel will continue to serve, as Saavgaq served, for many years to come.”