Standing outside the bridge of the Coast Guard's icebreaking tug Biscayne Bay are new crew members (from left) Electrician's Mate Chief - Assistant Engineer Officer Eric Pederson, Machinery Technician First Class - Main Propulsion Assistant John Elder, Boatswain's Mate First Class - Operations Petty Officer Clift Newberry, Food Service Specialist Second Class - Cook Aaron Culey, and Seaman - Deck Nonrate Jason Fisher. Five new crew members on the St. Ignace-based icebreaking tug Biscayne Bay bring to the ship a diverse range of experience. With backgrounds in security, communications, ocean patrols, and cutting ice at the North Pole, all five men say they want to spend their careers with the Coast Guard.

The 140-foot Biscayne Bay has a crew of 17 men, and its primary mission is icebreaking.

Clift Newberry

Boatswain's Mate First Class - Operations Petty Officer Clift Newberry, 40, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been in the Coast Guard 15 years.

In 1993, a television news story showed the Coast Guard rescuing people from a train derailment in Mobile, Alabama. That was the type of work he wanted to do, so he enlisted.

For about 12 years of his career, he has been doing search and rescue missions, which are unusual for a cutter to perform. Yet, shortly after arriving in St. Ignace, BM1 Newberry found himself part of a rescue team during the Port Huron to Mackinac yacht race.

He was the person in charge of the boat that rescued the sailor, who fell about 45 feet into Lake Huron while trying to untangle yacht rigging.

At the time, the seas were between three feet and five feet, it was about 2:30 a.m., and very dark, said BM1 Newberry. He got aboard a small boat deployed by Biscayne Bay with an emergency medical technician (EMT). BM1 Newberry delivered the EMT to the sailboat.

"We came alongside and picked up the injured crewman and brought him to the cutter," he said.

Then BM1 Newberry returned to the yacht to pick up the EMT and a helicopter picked up the injured crewman from the deck of the Biscayne Bay, transporting him to a local hospital.

BM1 Newberry has been stationed around the country, from Northern California, where he was assigned to a 87-foot patrol boat, to Boston, where he crewed on the 270-foot cutter Seneca. He's also been stationed in Connecticut and Florida.

He and his wife, Robin, have five children, although only Robert, 18, moved to St. Ignace with them. Their other children are Thomas, 26, Michael, 24, Edward, 20, and Rebecca, 20.

This time, he sought an assignment on the Great Lakes. Next, he would like to be stationed on the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, or back in the Northeast, where his wife is from and still has family.

On the Biscayne Bay, his main duties are on the bridge, where he assists with navigation and updates charts.

He has been assigned to St. Ignace for three years, as it offers him the opportunity to advance to chief, which would mean next summer he would be given a new assignment.

"I'm here to enhance my career," he said.

Aaron Culey

The only cook on board the vessel is Food Service Specialist Second Class Aaron Culey, 25, of Rockford, Illinois. When the vessel is underway, his day begins at 4:45 a.m. and ends around 7 p.m., when he leaves the galley. When the boat is in port, he cooks lunch, orders food and completes paperwork, and helps where needed.

He comes from a background of chefs and bakers and he has been cooking since he was three, although he has no formal training. His stepfather was a chef, one of his grandfathers owned an Italian restaurant, and his grandmother taught him how to bake.

"I haven't heard any complaints," he said of his cooking since he arrived on the ship. "I rarely have leftovers."

FS2 Culey began his military career in the Army. The father of two wanted to have a family life and transferred to the Coast Guard. The Biscayne Bay is the first vessel he has been stationed on.

Since arriving in St. Ignace, the crew has been doing a lot of training, including collision and firefighting. FS2 Culey also has been learning about the boat's system operations and maintenance.

"I've been learning things above and beyond my job," he said, "so I can be more effective."

Prior to coming to St. Ignace, he was at the Air Station in Traverse City for two years. His wife, Melissa, and daughters Gabrielle, 3, and Morgan, nine months, are with him in St. Ignace. The couple both come from families of six siblings.

When his rotation ended in Traverse City, he had requested Oregon or Seattle, Washington. The couple have family and Army friends in that area. Now, they are adjusting to life in a smaller community.

FS2 Culey expects his rotation on the Biscayne Bay will last three years before he is reassigned.

During his Coast Guard career, he hopes to continue to advance, eventually becoming a warrant officer and retiring after 30 years of service.

Eric Pederson

Electrician's Mate Chief - Assistant Engineer Officer Eric Pederson, 45, of Oak Harbor, Washington, has been in the Coast Guard for 22 years and St. Ignace is his 10th assignment. On the Biscayne Bay, he is in charge of the ship's two engines and two generators.

For the last five years, he was stationed in Phoenix, Arizona, with Rescue 21, the Coast Guard's radio communication modernization program. The new radio system, which he helped install in the Northwest region, covers a range of up to 60 miles in the ocean and can pinpoint a distress call within two degrees of a boat's location. The previous system offered a range of about 20 miles.

Previously, he was stationed on Kodiak Island, Alaska, where he had hoped to return. He is a fisherman, has his own 17-foot boat, and Kodiak Island, he said, is a "perfect" spot for fishing. With no openings available to him there, he chose St. Ignace.

"St. Ignace is kind of like Alaska," he said, "except you can drive everywhere. So I thought I'd give it a try."

He plans to be in St. Ignace three years and probably will seek a transfer to Seattle, where he would like to retire, or return to Alaska.

During his career, he has traveled to many places, including the Virgin Islands, Greenland, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, although his most exciting experience was sailing on the maiden voyage of the 240-foot cutter Healy, the Coast Guard's largest icebreaker. The six-month cruise was a test of the ship's capabilities and included traveling across the North Pole. EMC Pederson appreciated seeing polar bears in their natural habitat.

John Elder

Machinery Technician First Class - Main Propulsion Assistant John Elder, 29, of Boerne, Texas, has been in the Coast Guard for nine years.

Before coming to St. Ignace, MK1 Elder was assigned to the Maritime Safety and Security Team in Galveston, Texas. The traveling unit is a Coast Guard anti-terrorism team. During his assignment, it provided water security for major events, including the United Nations Summit, during presidential visits, and Super Bowl games.

"Any time there were VIPs and lots of people," he said, "we were there."

The group also performed counter-narcotics work, border protection, and were first responders for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"No job was the same," he said. "We took it very seriously and did the best we could. Great crew, great team, great job."

The father of three was transferred after he was promoted and his rotation was complete. His wife, Katrina, and their daughter, Donna, 9, and sons Joseph, 7, and six-month-old Braden, also have moved to St. Ignace.

A successful high school football, baseball, and track athlete, at age 19, he was bored with life and joined the Coast Guard.

"I'll retire from the Coast Guard," he said. "Best thing I ever did with my life."

Until coming to St. Ignace, he was considered an "I-10" sailor, someone who has never been assigned north of the highway that runs from Jacksonville, Florida, west. Now, he loves it here already, because of the cooler temperatures and wants to stay in Michigan on further assignments.

He and his son love to fish and hunt. He only has seen Florida snow, which is not what he expects in Michigan, and he is looking forward to snowshoeing and skiing.

"There is so much here to do," he said. "The kids don't have to stay in front of the television because it's 100 degrees outside. There is so much family stuff to do here, it's great."

Jason Fisher

Seaman Jason Fisher, 22, of Troy, is on his first Coast Guard assignment since completing boot camp training at Cape May, New Jersey.

"I've always wanted to have something that was never the same every day. Just have an exciting job," he said. "And honestly, I'm guaranteed I'll have a job for however many years I want. And I'm not going to get laid off, which is something a lot of people can't say anymore."

He already knows he wants to retire from the Coast Guard and he hopes to reach the rank of chief. He is interested in weapons systems, and is considering training to become a gunner's mate, a job that requires maintaining all of a ship's weapons.

He has enjoyed attending the St. Ignace mud runs. A mountain bike rider, he is looking forward to exploring local trails.

On the Biscayne Bay, while in port, he is on watch. He also is part of the anchor detail and helps raise and lower the small boat. Work on board the vessel is deck maintenance such as sanding and painting.

He prefers being underway, because the work changes and the pace picks up from raising or lowering the anchor or small boat.

"You know what your job is," he said, "you're just not sure when you'll have to do it."

He has always loved the water. Since arriving in St. Ignace, he already has taken rescue swimmer training. Tending the person performing the rescue, he said, requires checking lines and helping with the proper gear for the colder waters of the north.

"I make sure when they get in the water, they are ready," he said.

Boot camp prepared him for the detailed rescue work on the boat.

He requested an assignment anywhere in Michigan when he left Cape May, which has worked out well, as his family already has been here to visit him.

"I'm legitimately happy to be here," he said. "A lot of people wonder what it's like to be here, to be away from your family, and my family is very close-knit, and sometimes that makes it harder. But knowing how proud my mom is makes it a lot easier to be here."