SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk repatriated 23 of 28 Dominican migrants to the Dominican Republic navy in Santo Domingo following the interdiction of an illegal migrant voyage in the Mona Passage, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release. 

Five of the interdicted migrants remain in Puerto Rico to face possible federal prosecution on charges of violating U.S. Code for attempting to illegally re-enter the United States, which carries a potential maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. 

The interdiction was the result of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG).  

“We are glad that we were able to arrive in time to safely recover all 28 migrants from this grossly overloaded vessel,” said Lt. Christopher Martin, commanding officer of the Donald Horsley. “This vessel could have easily capsized, and the people onboard would have had a very little chance of survival since they basically possessed no lifesaving equipment onboard. We appreciate the collaboration and coordination of are CBP partners, which allowed for a prompt response and successful outcome in this case.” 

The interdiction took place Nov. 14 after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations DHC-8 patrol aircraft crew sighted a migrant boat just off Mona Island. The Donald Horsley diverted to the scene and interdicted the 30-foot migrant boat with 28 adult Dominican men aboard. 

The crew of the Donald Horsley transferred the migrants to the cutter Mohawk for their repatriation, while the five migrants awaiting prosecution were transferred to the cutter Joseph Napier. Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, received custody of the five migrants awaiting federal prosecution.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Dominican Republic navy air and surface units interdicted 52 migrants aboard a makeshift vessel during an illegal voyage on Nov. 13 in the Mona Passage, according to the Coast Guard 7th District. 

The group of migrants included 51 Dominican and one Cuban national, 39 men and 13 women, who were safely returned to the Dominican Republic. The interdiction was the result of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG). 

“The close collaboration and effective communication between the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Dominican Republic Navy responding assets led to the interdiction and safe recovery of all 52 migrants,” said Cmdr. Beau Power, Sector San Juan chief of response. “People should not take to the sea as part of an illegal migrant voyage; they are extremely dangerous.” 

The interdiction took place on the morning of Nov. 14, after a CBP Air and Marine Operations DHC-8 patrol aircraft crew sighted a migrant vessel, about 15 nautical miles northwest of Mona Island. Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted the cutter Donald Horsley to carry out the interdiction and alerted Dominican navy authorities, whom also diverted the Dominican coastal patrol boat Bellatrix to the scene. 

The Bellatrix arrived on scene and stopped the migrant vessel. Shortly thereafter, the Donald Horsley arrived on scene and assisted with the transfer and safe removal of the migrants to the Bellatrix for return to the Dominican Republic.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division marked the start of fabrication of the U.S. Coast Guard’s newest Legend-class national security cutter, Calhoun, on Nov. 12, according to a company release. The start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel for a ship have been cut. 

“Each new ship in this class has been an exciting opportunity to build on our legacy,” said Jay Boyd, Ingalls’ NSC program manager. “This is the 10th cutter in the class and a steady production line has allowed our shipbuilders to continually improve on how we build and deliver these technologically advanced cutters to the nation.” 

NSC 10 is named for Master Chief Petty Officer Charles L. Calhoun, who was the first MCPOCG. He served in the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II and was honorably discharged in February 1946 as a torpedoman second class but enlisted in the Coast Guard that September. Over the course of 14 years he held various Coast Guard leadership positions, serving as MCPOCG from August 1969 until August 1973. 

Ingalls has delivered eight Legend–class NSCs, two more are under construction and one additional is under contract. Stone, the ninth NSC, is scheduled for delivery in 2020. 

NSCs can meet all maritime security mission needs required of the high-endurance cutter. They include an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid-hull inflatable boats and a flight deck to accommodate a range of manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft.

The Legend class is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in the Coast Guard, with maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense capabilities. NSCs enhance the Coast Guard’s operational readiness, capacity and effectiveness at a time when the demand for their services has never been greater.

NEW YORK — The U.S. Coast Guard will name two of its new Sentinel-class fast-response cutters in honor of two public servants and Coast Guardsmen who lost their lives responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, the Coast Guard 1st District announced in a Nov. 12 release. 

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz made the announcement in New York’s Battery Park flanked by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner James O’Neill and Fire Chief John Sudnik. 

The two new cutters will be named for Vincent Danz and Jeffrey Palazzo. 

Palazzo served as a Coast Guard reservist and New York firefighter at Rescue 5 in Staten Island. He died while helping others at the World Trade Center. Danz, also a Coast Guard reservist, was a police officer with the emergency services unit in the Bronx and was helping victims at Ground Zero when the Trade Center collapsed. 

“We are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to honor these brave men whose service and sacrifice spanned three great first-responder organizations,” Schultz said. “Their broad military and public service to both the nation and City of New York demonstrated their incredible dedication and character. When the call came, they answered. We are certain that the men and women who serve aboard Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz and Coast Guard Cutter Jeffrey Palazzo … will proudly carry on their sense of honor, respect and devotion to duty.” 

“On the day we needed them most, our city’s brave first responders ran toward danger without hesitation,” de Blasio said. “Officer Vincent Danz and Firefighter Jeffrey Palazzo lived and died in service to our city and our country, and I join the U.S. Coast Guard, NYPD and FDNY in remembering the sacrifices they made to keep us safe. They were heroes, plain and simple, and their spirit will live on through these vessels as they continue to protect our city and nation from harm.” 

The new cutters are scheduled for delivery starting in 2023. FRCs are the mainstay of the Coast Guard’s coastal patrol fleet, providing multimission capabilities and interagency interoperability.

They feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment to reach vessels of interest; and improved habitability and sea-keeping. They are replacing 1980s-era Island-class 110-foot patrol boats. 

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Coast Guard cutter James returned to Charleston on Oct. 31 following a 62-day counter-drug patrol in support of Operation Martillo in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard’s 7th District said in a release. 

During their patrol, the James’ crew, along with members from Tactical Law Enforcement Team-South, Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, and multiple partner agencies, contributed to the interdiction of seven drug-smuggling vessels and were responsible for the seizure of more than 9,000 pounds of cocaine and 4,085 pounds of marijuana bound for the United States. 

The James’ crew offloaded more than 28,000 pounds of seized cocaine and 11,000 pounds of seized marijuana on Oct. 28 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The contraband was seized by multiple Coast Guard units in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean and has a wholesale value of more than $377.1 million. 

“The teamwork, dedication and bias for action exhibited by this crew and other Coast Guard vessel crews represent how the Coast Guard protects this nation from threats delivered by sea, and I could not be prouder of them,” said Capt. Jeffrey Randall, James’ commanding officer. 

In addition to interdicting drug-smuggling vessels, the James assumed the role of commander, Task Force Bahamas, in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, the strongest Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the Bahamas. The James directed eight cutters and 12 helicopters in response to search-and-rescue and medevac calls by injured and stranded inhabitants and coordinated evaluations of 25 ports and their associated infrastructure. 

The James is one of two 418-foot national security cutters (NSC) homeported in Charleston. With its command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, the NSC is the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet. NSCs are equipped with state-of-the-art small assets to include a small unmanned aircraft system which can expand the surveillance range of a surface asset like the James. 

“From mission planning to risk mitigation, the capability offered by a small shipboard based unmanned aerial system extends our visual range to enhance our ability to execute a diverse mission set,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Connell, operations officer for the James.

SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy returned home on Nov. 2 to Seattle following a three-month deployment to the Arctic in support of Coast Guard operations and multiple scientific research missions sponsored by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Naval Research. 

Healy is a high-latitude research vessel and is one of the only U.S. military surface vessels that operates in the ice-covered waters of the Arctic. Homeported in Seattle with a permanent crew of 87, Healy is the Coast Guard’s largest cutter at 420 feet and a displacement of more than 16,000 tons. 

“During our deployment, we successfully transited 14,000 nautical miles and spent 50 cumulative days above the Arctic Circle, reaching as far north as 81 degrees north latitude,” said Capt. MaryEllen Durley, Healy’s commanding officer. “As the Coast Guard’s sole Arctic icebreaker, we forged new relationships, trained new Arctic sailors and conducted high-latitude research that will help forecast the impact of seasonal ice formation critical to maintaining the Arctic maritime domain.” 

As the nation’s primary maritime presence in the Polar regions, the Coast Guard advances U.S. national interests through a blend of polar operational capability, regulatory authority and international leadership across the full spectrum of maritime governance. 

Earlier this year the Coast Guard released the Arctic Strategic Outlook, reaffirming the service’s commitment to American leadership in the region through partnership, unity of effort and continuous innovation. 

“While we focus our efforts on creating a peaceful and collaborative environment in the Arctic, we’re also responding to the impacts of increased competition in this strategically important region,” said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz. “Our continued presence will enable us to reinforce positive opportunities and mitigate negative consequences today and tomorrow.” 

The Coast Guard presently maintains two icebreakers – the Healy, a medium icebreaker, and the Polar Star, the only heavy U.S. icebreaker. 

While the Healy deploys annually to the Arctic, the 43-year-old Polar Star is the only cutter capable of supporting Operation Deep Freeze, the annual mission to maintain U.S. presence in Antarctica. 

If a catastrophic event, such as a shipboard fire or getting stuck in the ice, were to strand the Healy in the Arctic or the Polar Star near Antarctica, the Coast Guard is left without a self-rescue capability. By contrast, Russia currently operates more than 50 icebreakers — several of which are nuclear-powered. 

The Coast Guard is seeking to increase its icebreaking fleet with six new polar security cutters. In April, the Coast Guard awarded VT Halter Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi, a contract for the design and construction of the Coast Guard’s lead polar security cutter, which will be homeported in Seattle. The contract also includes options for the construction of two additional PSCs.

BOSTON — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Spencer returned to Boston on Oct. 27 after conducting an 80-day counter-drug patrol in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard’s 1st District said in a release. 

Spencer’s crew seized about 700 kilograms of cocaine, valued at $19 million, after interdicting a smuggling vessel.   

The crew’s patrol spanned more than 14,000 nautical miles and focused on enforcing international counter-trafficking laws, supporting U.S. partnerships with Central and South American countries and helping to preserve national security. 

The crew also responded to multiple search-and-rescue cases, including a distress call from an aircraft experiencing engine failure.  

“Spencer’s crew is happy to be home and is looking forward to spending time with family and friends in their homeport of Boston … during the holidays,” said Cmdr. Thomas Rodzewicz, the cutter’s commanding officer.  

Spencer is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter with a crew of 100.

ASTORIA, Ore. — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alert returned to their homeport on Oct. 25 following a 10,700-nautical-mile, 65-day, multimission patrol that resulted in the interdiction of nearly 4,000 pounds of cocaine worth about $54 million, the Coast Guard said in a release. 

Alert’s crew conducted counterdrug operations in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, where boarding teams interdicted two go-fast vessels, seizing the cocaine and detaining six suspected drug smugglers. 

Three Mexican naval officers joined Alert for the patrol to share lessons learned and to build cohesion between the sea services. 

“I am extremely proud of this crew for doing their part to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets,” said Cmdr. Tyson Scofield, Alert’s commanding officer. “The eastern Pacific … is a challenging environment, especially on a ship that is in her 50th year of service, yet this crew persevered to disrupt the illegal flow of narcotics that fuels instability in Central and South America. The counterdrug mission is as important now as it has ever been, and these brave men and women can return home after a 65-day patrol knowing they made a difference.” 

The Coast Guard’s medium-endurance cutters represent 70% of the service’s counterdrug interdiction fleet, but many are nearing the end of their service life. Replacing the aging fleet of medium endurance cutters with the offshore patrol cutter is one of the Coast Guard’s top priorities. 

As cartels become more advanced in their trafficking methods at sea, the Coast Guard is recapitalizing the fleet with modern assets equipped to detect, interdict and disrupt the growing flow of illegal drugs, weapons and people in the eastern Pacific. 

Alert’s crew offloaded more than $92 million worth of cocaine Oct. 16 in San Diego before returning home. The cocaine offloaded represents a total of four suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions by the crews of the Alert and the Coast Guard Cutters Robert Ward and Seneca, who patrolled the same international waters between late July and early October. 

Alert’s crew also patrolled off the coast of California, providing an increased off-shore deterrence to illicit narcotics trafficking and human smuggling. The amount of recreational and commercial fishing traffic provided Alert’s law enforcement teams with opportunities to board vessels not normally inspected at sea. 

Alert’s engineers also provided mechanical assistance to a disabled vessel, helping the distressed crew return to port prior to the arrival of gale force weather conditions. 

Alert’s embarked helicopter and aircrew from Air Station Humboldt Bay also assisted two U.S. Navy ships by flying their severely injured crew members ashore to receive advanced medical treatment. 

Alert began its patrol by participating in the 2019 Los Angeles Fleet Week celebration, a public event that celebrated the U.S. armed forces and the Port of Los Angeles. During that week, Alert’s crew provided shipboard tours to 880 people and worked jointly with the Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour to increase the public’s awareness to the Coast Guard and its missions. The crew also volunteered in a Habitat for Humanity community service event where they aided a local food bank with boxing meals for families in need.

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton pulled into Puerto Princesa on Oct. 14 for Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Sama Sama following operations in the Yellow Sea where the crew supported United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) enforcement against illicit ship-to-ship transfers that violate sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a release. 

The operations are a part of the United States’ ongoing contribution to international efforts in combatting DPRK’s maritime sanctions evasion activity. Ship-to-ship transfers of fuel and goods, like coal, going to and from DPRK are prohibited under the UNSCR. 

Stratton personnel captured imagery of suspected illicit ship-to-ship transfers and conducted routine activities to detect, deter and disrupt activities in violation of UNSCR. 

MTA Sama Sama is a maritime exercise designed to promote regional security cooperation, maintain and strengthen maritime partnerships and enhance maritime interoperability. This is the first year the Japanese Maritime Defense Force will participate alongside U.S. and Philippine navy counterparts. 

The exercise will consist of both shore-based and at-sea activities designed to allow participating navies to advance the complex maritime training utilizing diverse naval platforms and operating areas. 

The Coast Guard has an enduring role in the Indo-Pacific, going back over 150 years. The service’s ongoing deployment of resources to the region directly supports U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives in the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the National Security Strategy. 

“All of Stratton’s operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows,” said Capt. Bob Little, Stratton’s commanding officer. “That is as true in the South and East China Seas, as in other places around the globe. Our efforts in support of enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolutions in the Yellow Sea demonstrate that commitment.” 

KODIAK, Alaska — The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley returned to their homeport in Kodiak on Oct. 20 following a 40-day deployment throughout the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, the Coast Guard 17th District said in a release.  

Since departing Kodiak in September, the crew patroled 5,000 miles and conducted 13 at-sea boardings.  

The crew also conducted law-enforcement operations during the opening of the red king crab season and participated in several search-and-rescue cases. Most notably, Alex Haley’s onboard helicopter crew medically evacuated a crew member from fishing vessel Alaska Victory after he was exposed to a release of toxic ammonia refrigerant on Sept. 28.  

Midway through the patrol, Alex Haley visited the remote community of St. Paul, Alaska, where crew members conducted a clean-up of a local lakefront and met with community elders. These events helped strengthen one of the many partnerships between the Coast Guard and local Alaskan communities. 

“This patrol is my first aboard Alex Haley and my first in the Bering Sea,” said Cmdr. Benjamin Golightly, the cutter’s commanding officer. “After a long period in homeport, which included major dockside repairs, the crew did an outstanding job transitioning back into the demanding routine of operations at sea.” 

“The opportunity to patrol the Bering Sea during the highly visible red king crab season was tremendously rewarding and uniquely challenging,” Golightly added. “Between the rapid operational pace of fisheries boardings, the notorious unpredictability of the weather, and the fact that search-and-rescue cases can occur at any time, there was no shortage of challenges to be met by the crew.” 

Alex Haley is a 282-foot medium-endurance cutter that has been homeported in Kodiak since 1999, routinely operating throughout the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and Pacific Ocean. The cutter’s ability to operate in extreme weather provides the mission flexibility necessary to perform search and rescue, fisheries law enforcement and vessel safety inspections across Alaska. 

These operations occur under the tactical control of the 17th Coast Guard District in Juneau, which encompasses the entire state of Alaska, as well as the coastal and offshore waters seaward over several thousands of miles.