VALDEZ, Alaska (AP) – Military jets flew skimmers, booms and beach landing craft into Alaska on Sunday, and commanders issued a Pacific-wide call for more equipment to fight the nation’s worst oil spill.

Kodiak, the nation’s richest fishing port, prepared for the onslaught of oil by putting out log booms, but the Coast Guard said the leading edge of the spill, 60 miles away, retreated a bit and began breaking up into tar balls and sinking.

“That’s good news,” said Bill Lamoreaux, the state’s on-scene coordinator.

The tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef near here March 24, spilling 10.1 million gallons of crude into pristine Prince William Sound. The oil has spread into the Gulf of Alaska and fouled some of the many islands in the region.

On Friday, President Bush said he would send the military to help with the cleanup. Exxon Corp., which has been accused of moving too slowly to contain the spill, will continue to provide materials, manpower and money.

Also Sunday:

– A 40-foot gray whale was found dead in an oil-fouled area. Wildlife experts said they hadn’t determined whether it was the first whale to succumb to the spill that has already killed thousands of other animals.

– Exxon said it was beginning to reimburse fishermen for losses from the cancellation of the herring season and had paid $250,000 to cover expenses for fishing boats attacking the spill on their own.

Coast Guard spokesman Rick Meidt said an Air Force general made a tour of the area and sent a call to bases around the Pacific to find out what was available and what the estimated time of arrival in Valdez would be.

The Coast Guard’s Pacific commander, Vice Adm. Clyde Robbins, was joining the federal effort. Other experts dispatched by the Pentagon surveyed the cleanup, and with the help of the military, cleanup gear poured into Valdez.

“C5-A after C5-A is bringing in equipment,” including skimmers, more booms and beach landing craft to move people to the oily shoreline, Meidt said.

The Navy sent barges outfitted as hotels so that when coastline cleanup gets under way, workers will be housed near where they are working.

The forecast called for continued northeast winds, which will keep the oil moving toward Kodiak, 300 miles from the accident site. Kodiak last year produced a fish catch worth $166 million.

But Meidt said, “When the helicopters go up, they’re seeing streamers a couple of miles long and slicks that are breaking up at the edges.”

Herring boats and Coast Guard cutters were dispactched to speed the breakup of the spill before it reaches Kodiak. At Seward, on the edge of a national park, a skimmer stood ready to protect inner bays and fish hatcheries.