North Star Port

Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Coast Guard There is no such thing as a typical work day for Lieutenant Commander Abbie (Harms) Lyons, inspections division chief for the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic. The geographic area she and her team cover is enormous, encompassing over 3.8 million square miles and more than 47,000 miles of coastline, home to some of the most hostile weather conditions on the planet. "Our area of respon- sibility is massive; it covers everything north and west of Yukatat," said Lyons, who lived in Duluth from 2018 t o 2 0 2 1 w h e n s h e served as waterways and incident manager chief for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Unit-Duluth. " We're all over the place." I n h e r c u r r e n t role, Lyons might be working one day on the North Slope of Alaska, making sure tugs, barges and hover crafts that take people out to the oil fields around Prud - hoe Bay are operating safely. The next day could bring an inspection on a Shore Base X-Band radar vessel, SBX-1, a missile defense rig in an undisclosed location in the Pacific Ocean. The following morning could carry her to Prince William Sound for a commercial freighter or cruise ship inspection. Or she might be home in Anchorage, cheering on her 6-year-old son as he learns to ski. It is a busy life as Lyons balances a demanding career with raising a family. "I'm gone a lot, but I don't miss too many ski practices, so that's good," said Lyons. "I try to do day trips when I can—just hop on a flight, do an inspection and come home the same day—but sometimes it ends up being extended. The weather is unpredict- able. I've been stuck places." Lyons' husband, Kevin, is a flight instructor for the Alaska State Troopers, a job that also requires some overnight trips. The two coordinate schedules and collaborate to ensure family life goes smoothly. Many of her colleagues, male and female, also have kids and working spouses. There is a supportive culture that some might find surprising in a mil- itary branch where the most recent data show women make up just 16 percent of the total active-duty workforce. Things have changed significantly since Lyons first entered the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) back in 2005. She recalls her graduating class included about 10 percent women. By contrast, the USCGA Class of 2026 is expected to have a historic percentage of women gradu- ates, exceeding the record of 41.2 percent set in 2024. One of Lyons' first post-graduation assignments was assistant to the District 17 (now Arctic Division) commander, a job that allowed her to travel extensively across Alaska and sealed her love for the state. While there, she met Kevin. During their first year of marriage, she was sta- tioned in Dutch Harbor, an isolated fishing port in the Aleutian Islands. When the time came to request a new assignment, her top three picks were all openings in Duluth, a city that also offered opportunities for her husband in the aviation industry. As waterways and incident manage- ment chief in Duluth, Lyons' role was to ensure safe, secure and efficient navigation for all waterway users and to lead responses to maritime threats, p o l l u t i o n a n d sa fe ty i n c i d e nt s. S h e enjoyed serving on the Harbor Techni- cal Advisory Council, addressing issues DULUTHPORT.COM | 11 Abbie Lyons "The Coast Guard and maritime in general is such a fun work environment."

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