The Coast Guard has identified the chief warrant officer who died after being injured in a Thursday crane accident in Homer, Alaska.

Local emergency medical services personnel performed CPR on CWO2 Michael Kozloski and rushed him to South Peninsula Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Coast Guard officials say.

He was 35 and had served more than 17 years in the Coast Guard, most of that time as a boatswain’s mate, said Public Affairs Specialist 1st Class Jon-Paul Rios in Juneau.

“The incident is still being investigated,” Rios told Navy Times.

Originally from Mahopac, New York, Kozloski was assigned to the cutter Hickory.

Nicknamed "The Bull of the North,” the 225-foot, sea-going buoy tender is homeported in Homer, a fishing community on the Kenai Peninsula about 122 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The Coast Guard’s 2018 Register of Officers shows that Kozloski received his warrant effective June 1, 2017.

“It’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of a devoted shipmate, husband and father following this tragic accident,” said Rear Adm. Matthew T. Bell Jr., Coast Guard 17th District commander, in a written statement emailed to Navy Times.

“Chief Warrant Officer Kozloski faithfully served his country for over 17 years and we are forever grateful for his steadfast devotion to duty and sacrifices.”

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It’s the second Coast Guard death in Alaska this week.

Seaman Ethan Kelch, 19, was declared dead Sunday morning in Dutch Harbor, where the cutter Douglas Munro was awaiting repairs.

His death also is under investigation.

About Carl Prine

Prine came to Navy Times after stints at the San Diego Union-Tribune and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

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