The Long Blue Line (WINTER 2020)

Cutter Bear officers, including Second
Lt. Ellsworth Bertholf (front row far left)
and Capt. Francis Tuttle (center).
Bertholf’s most noted service took place on land
and in the waters of Alaska. In 1897, Bertholf, Lt.
David Jarvis and Dr. Samuel Call of the Arctic
cutter Bear, led a dangerous mid-winter relief party
that became known as the Overland Expedition.
Using sledges pulled by dogs and reindeer, the
men set out on snowshoes and skis to relieve over
200 whalers stranded by pack ice near Pt. Barrow,
Alaska. Three months and 1,500 miles later, the
party arrived at Barrow delivering 382 reindeer to
265 starving whalers. Bertholf received a specially
struck Congressional Gold Medal for this courage
and heroism. In the winter of 1901, Bertholf also
made a trip across northern Siberia by sledge at
the request of the U.S. Bureau of Education. The
purpose of his mission was to procure a herd of
reindeer for the Inuit villages in Northern Alaska.
Bertholf went on to serve as executive officer and
then commander of the Bear, made famous by her
Alaskan cruises and the Bering Sea Patrol.
Bertholf enjoyed a distinguished career in the
United States Revenue Cutter Service. He was
the Service’s first officer to attend the Naval War
College in Newport, Rhode Island, and he rose
quickly through the officer ranks. In 1911, at the
age of 45, he was appointed Captain Commandant
and head of the Revenue Cutter Service. He was
the last man to serve in that position. He also served
as a delegate to the International Conference on
Safety at Sea held in London in 1912 after the
tragic loss of RMS Titanic. This meeting led to
establishment of the International Ice Patrol, which
the Service has performed since 1913. In addition,
he served as chairman of the Interdepartmental
Board on International Ice Observation and Patrol
in the North Atlantic and the Service’s Board on
Anchorage and Movements of Vessels.
More than any other individual, Bertholf’s strong
leadership and guidance made possible the
(continued on page 32)
The 1897 Overland
Expedition approaches
whalers trapped in
the Arctic ice at Point
Barrow, Alaska.
18 WINTER 2020
THE LONG BLUE LINE