The capabilities of the Alex Haley are unique and ideal for safely accomplishing many different missions in service to the Coast Guard and the Nation. The cutter's primary missions are: homeland security, search and rescue, and international and domestic fisheries enforcement. While originally designed by the Navy for rescue and salvage, changes made to the Cutter by the Coast Guard have made the Alex Haley ideally suited for her primary operating location: the Bering Sea and other Alaskan waters. The original design produced a very stable ship that rides well in heavy seas.