ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Venturous (WMEC-625)
returned home to St. Petersburg June 27 following a 62-day patrol in the
Caribbean Sea, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release of the same date.

Venturous’
crew spent the first three weeks of the patrol at Naval Station Mayport for
their biennial Tailored Ship’s Training Availability, which is designed to test
the crew’s ability to respond to various operations and shipboard emergencies.

After
departing Mayport, the Venturous crew transited over 7,000 miles while
operating in the Caribbean Sea enforcing international laws and treaties in
support of the Coast Guard’s Western Hemisphere Strategy by countering
transnational organized criminal networks and deterring human smuggling while
safeguarding life at sea.

On June 12th,
the crew of the Venturous partnered with rotary and fixed wing aircraft from
Coast Guard Air Stations Clearwater and Miami and Royal Bahamian Defense Forces
interceptor and rescued 177 Haitian migrants from an overloaded 40-foot vessel
approximately 20 nautical miles southwest of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.

“From responding to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, to completing four consecutive deployments through the Panama Canal to the Eastern Pacific Ocean, to preventing over nine tons of illicit narcotics, valued at over a quarter billion dollars, from reaching our shores, and rescuing 189 migrants and 10 fishermen from the perils of the sea, the crew of Venturous truly upheld her motto, Nemo Supra, None Better.”

Cmdr. Matthew Chong, commanding officer of the Venturous

The Venturous
crew utilized both of the over the horizon cutter boats to safely offload all
177 migrants from the vessel, which was slowly flooding due to its severely
overloaded state and choppy seas. The Royal Bahamian Defense Forces interceptor
provided security on the vessel and the Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk
helicopter provided overflight coverage as Venturous embarked the migrants.
Once aboard Venturous, crewmembers provided the migrants with food, water,
shelter and basic medical care.

On two other
occasions, Venturous intercepted overloaded vessels closer to shore and
directed them to return back to port rather than face the dangerous journey in
open waters.

Six cadets
from the Coast Guard Academy also joined Venturous during the deployment and
worked alongside the crew while earning various shipboard qualifications and
gaining valuable operational experience that will aid in their development as
future Coast Guard officers.

Additionally,
Venturous hosted two ship riders from the Cayman Islands. While on board, the
ship riders attended operations briefings and engaged with crewmembers to
exchange best practices to fight human and narcotics trafficking networks while
strengthening the strategic partnership with an important regional ally.

“As I
complete my final patrol on Venturous, I can’t help but look back on the past
two years with immense pride and awe in all that our crew accomplished.” said
Cmdr. Matthew Chong, commanding officer of the Venturous. “From responding to
Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, to completing four consecutive deployments
through the Panama Canal to the Eastern Pacific Ocean, to preventing over nine
tons of illicit narcotics, valued at over a quarter billion dollars, from
reaching our shores, and rescuing 189 migrants and 10 fishermen from the perils
of the sea, the crew of Venturous truly upheld her motto, Nemo Supra, None
Better.”

The Venturous
is a 210-foot Reliance-class cutter, homeported in St. Petersburg and has a
crew of 76. Medium endurance cutters, like the Venturous, are slated for
replacement by a new class of cutter — the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). With
the ability to operate more than 50 miles from land, the OPC will be a
multi-mission asset, providing surface and air pursuit capabilities and
interoperability with other military and federal partners.

WASHINGTON – The
U.S. Coast Guard has selected Charleston, South Carolina, as the home of the service’s
newest National Security Cutter, Coast Guard Headquarters announced in a June
26 release.

“I am pleased to
announce that Charleston, South Carolina, will be the home of the Coast Guard’s
11th National Security Cutter,” said Adm. Karl L. Schultz, commandant of the
Coast Guard. Construction on the 11th National Security Cutter is scheduled to
begin by spring of 2020. Charleston is already home to two of the Coast Guard’s
National Security Cutters, the James and Hamilton. In 2017, the Coast Guard
announced that the ninth and 10th National Security Cutters, currently under
construction at Huntington Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, will
join the Charleston-based National Security Cutter fleet in the coming years.
Schultz further noted, “I am confident that the Charleston community is the
right place for our Coast Guardsmen and their families to base these highly
capable National Security Cutters with the global reach to respond to complex
maritime threats and challenges.”

National Security
Cutters are the most technologically advanced vessels in the Coast Guard. They
are capable of supporting maritime homeland security and defense missions. They
safeguard the American people and promote our security in a complex and
persistently evolving maritime environment.

Grouping cutters
of the same class is one critical variable in selecting homeports. Grouping
cutters in the same location improves maintenance proficiency, streamlines
logistics, and provides increased personnel flexibility.

The cutter is
scheduled to arrive in 2024; its name has not yet been selected. This will be
the fifth National Security Cutter assigned to Charleston.

KEY WEST,
Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk (WMEC-913) returned to their
homeport in Key West following a 90-day counter-smuggling patrol in support of
Joint Interagency Task Force-South and operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean,
the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The Mohawk
crew, along with Coast Guard crews from Tactical Law Enforcement Team-South,
Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron and multiple partner
agencies, interdicted more than 16,500 pounds of cocaine and more than 1,500
pounds of marijuana to counter and disrupt the illegal smuggling operations of
transnational criminal organizations.

The cutter
crew also conducted joint operations with crews from the Costa Rica Servicio
Nacional de Guardacostas, in which they assisted in the rescue of four Costa
Rican mariners. The Mohawk crew also rescued four sea turtles entangled in
fishing gear.

The Coast
Guard increased U.S. and allied presence in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and
Caribbean Basin, which are known drug transit zones off Central and South
America. During at-sea interdictions in international waters, a suspect vessel
is initially located and tracked by allied, military or law-enforcement
personnel coordinated by JIAFT-S. The interdictions, including the actual
boarding, are led and conducted by U.S. Coast Guardsmen. The law-enforcement
phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific is conducted under
the authority of the Coast Guard 11th District headquartered in Alameda,
California.

The cutter Mohawk is a
270-foot medium-endurance cutter, whose missions include search and rescue,
maritime safety and security, and maritime law enforcement operations, such as
illegal migrant and drug interdiction operations.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant returned home June 23 to Cape Canaveral after a two-month Caribbean patrol, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The crew’s
patrol focused on enforcing U.S. federal laws by conducting boardings of U.S.
and international vessels throughout the Caribbean basin while working with
other government agencies and international partners to maintain national
security.

While on
patrol, the crew ensured the safe return of 50 Haitian migrants to their home
country after their illegal and dangerous voyage was disrupted by the crew of
the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered, a fast-response cutter homeported in
Miami. The crew was also involved in a search for a person reported to be in
the water after falling overboard from his sailing vessel.

The Vigilant
crew interdicted a go-fast vessel illegally smuggling 7,800 pounds of garlic
from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. Garlic smuggling is a global issue on the
rise and has had negative impacts on the agricultural industry in the Dominican
Republic in the last few years.

Upon hearing
of the interdiction, the Dominican navy sent a ship to meet the Vigilant to
take over the case for the prosecution. The contraband was valued at about
$30,000 and was the largest Coast Guard seizure of its kind.

During their
59-day patrol, the crew worked with agencies such as the Jamaican Defense
Force, Royal Bahamian Defense Force, Dominican navy, U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency and the U.S. Navy.

The Vigilant
is a multimission 210-foot medium-endurance cutter whose missions include
illegal drug and migrant interdiction as well as search and rescue. The
Vigilant patrols throughout the Caribbean basin and Atlantic seaboard to ensure
safety of life at sea and enforce international and domestic laws.

SAN JUAN,
Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley (WPC-1117) repatriated 11
Dominican migrants to a Dominican navy patrol vessel June 19 in waters just off
Samana, Dominican Republic, following the interdiction of an illegal migrant
voyage in the Mona Passage, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The
interdiction is the result of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Unified
Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group
(CBIG). Since October 2018, the Coast Guard and CBIG partner federal and state
agencies have interdicted over 1,523 migrants at sea near Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Islands.

During a
routine patrol June 17, the crew of patrolling Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry
maritime patrol aircraft detected a 20-foot fiberglass migrant boat transiting
towards Puerto Rico, about 20 nautical miles north northeast of Punta Cana,
Dominican Republic.

Coast Guard
watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted the cutter Donald Horsley to interdict
the suspect vessel. Upon arriving on scene, the Donald Horsley crew stopped the
blue and white makeshift boat with 11 migrants onboard, nine men and two women,
who claimed Dominican nationality. Horsley crew members proceeded to embark all
the migrants from the makeshift boat that was taking on water and in danger of
sinking.

“I am proud
of my crew for saving 11 people from a small, grossly overloaded boat traveling
in very dangerous sea conditions,” said Lt. Christopher Martin, commanding
officer of the Donald Horsley. “Crossing the Mona Passage is an extremely
dangerous journey, especially in the case of illegal voyages, in which migrants
risk their lives by trusting smugglers who transport them in inhumane
conditions on boats that are not safe to navigate and do not have any safety
equipment on board.”

Once aboard a
Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical
attention.

The cutter
Donald Horsley is a 154-foot fast-response cutter homeported in San Juan,
Puerto Rico.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard announced that Seattle will be the home of the service’s new polar security cutters.

“The Pacific Northwest has
been the home of our icebreaking fleet since 1976, and I am confident that the
Seattle area will continue to provide the support we need to carry out our
critical operations in the polar regions,” Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl L.
Schultz said.

The Coast Guard is the
nation’s lead agency responsible for providing assured surface access in the
polar regions. The addition of the polar security cutters in Seattle will
support the United States’ ability to conduct national missions, respond to
critical events and project American presence in the high latitudes.

The Coast Guard conducted a
detailed analysis to identify locations that could accommodate the polar security
cutter. Based on operational and logistical needs, Seattle was determined to be
the appropriate homeport for the first three PSCs.

In April 2019, VT Halter
Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi, was awarded a contract for the detail
design and construction of the PSC class.

PENSACOLA,
Fla. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless returned to their homeport in
Pensacola, Florida, June 12 after a 58-day patrol in the Gulf of Mexico, the
Coast Guard 8th District said in a release of the same date.

During its
two-month patrol, the cutter supported several 8th Coast Guard District mission
areas, including search and rescue, enforcement of domestic living marine
resource regulations and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activity
near the U.S. and Mexico maritime border.

The crew
deterred three Mexican vessels caught illegally fishing in U.S. waters and
recovered three miles of long line fishing gear, preventing the illegal
harvesting of red snapper and other regulated Gulf of Mexico fish species.

They also
conducted five safety boardings of U.S. flagged commercial fishing vessels to
ensure the proper safety equipment was onboard and crewmembers were properly
trained in safe seamanship practices.

The crew’s
employment in south Texas waters supported Operation Patriot Curtain, which
addressed threats to border security and U.S. sovereignty near the maritime
boundary line.

During the
patrol, the crew collaborated with the Mexican Naval Warship Arm Independencia
to share operational best practices. This beneficial exchange allowed the
Dauntless crew to demonstrate effective interoperability with a key
international maritime partner while conducting a shared mission of combating
transnational threats.

The crew
stopped in Galveston, Texas, the ship’s homeport from 1995 to 2018, and hosted
over 400 tours for the Galveston community. The ship was honored by the city
council with a proclamation declaring May 15th, “Sin Miedo” Day in
honor of Dauntless’s motto, “Sin Miedo,” meaning, “Without
Fear.”

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Winslow
Griesser (WPC-1116) repatriated 18 Dominican migrants to a Dominican Navy
patrol vessel June 11 near Samana, Dominican Republic, following the
interdiction of an illegal migrant voyage Monday just off the coast of
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a June 12 release.

Six other Dominican migrants traveling in the group
remain in federal custody facing possible prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s
Office for the District of Puerto Rico on potential charges of attempted
illegal reentry into a U.S. territory.

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

“I’m glad that our crew was able to safely recover all
the migrants and provide them with the humanitarian assistance they required,”
said Lt. Luke A. Walsh, USCGC Winslow Griesser commanding officer. “This group
is very fortunate. The dangers in the Mona Passage are quite real, as migrants
risk losing their lives at the hands of ruthless smugglers whose vessels are
ill equipped with little or no emergency and lifesaving equipment onboard.”

A team of Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents detected the
20-foot migrant vessel, transiting without navigational lights, approximately a
mile and a half off the coast of Aguadilla.

Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted
cutter Winslow Griesser to interdict the suspect vessel. As the Winslow
Griesser arrived on scene, a responding Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of
Rapid Action marine unit stopped the migrant vessel. The Winslow Griesser crew
embarked from the makeshift vessel all 24 migrants, 23 men and a woman, who
claimed Dominican nationality.

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive
food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.

The cutter Winslow Griesser transferred custody of the
six migrants facing federal prosecution to Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents in
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean Border Interagency Group unifies efforts
between U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Attorney’s Office for
the District of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid
Action. These agencies share a common goal of securing the maritime border of
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands against illegal migrant and drug
smuggling threats.

The Winslow Griesser is a 154-foot fast-response cutter
homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

ALAMEDA,
Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton is scheduled to depart June 12
from its homeport in Alameda, California, for a months-long deployment to the
Western Pacific in support of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees
military operations in the region, the Coast Guard Pacific Area announced.

The Stratton
will be the second cutter deployed to the Western Pacific this year. The crew
aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf left Alameda Jan. 20 and remain in the
region.

Operating
under the tactical control of the U.S. 7th Fleet commander, the cutter is
scheduled to engage in professional exchanges and capacity-building exercises
with partner nations and to patrol and operate as directed.

As both a
federal law enforcement agency and an armed force, the Coast Guard is positioned
to conduct defense operations in support of combatant commanders on all seven
continents. The service routinely provides forces in joint military operations
worldwide, including the deployment of cutters, boats, aircraft and deployable
specialized forces.

The Coast
Guard’s role in the Indo-Pacific goes back more than 150 years. The service’s
ongoing deployment of resources to the region supports U.S. foreign policy and
national security objectives as outlined in the National Security Strategy.

“The United
States is a Pacific nation,” said Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, commander, Coast Guard
Pacific Area, who oversees the cutter.

“We have deep
and long-standing ties with our partners in the region and, more importantly,
we share a strong commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, governed by a
rules-based international system that promotes peace, security, prosperity and
sovereignty of all nations.”

Commissioned
in 2012, Stratton is one of four Coast Guard Legend-class national security
cutters homeported in Alameda. NSCs are 418 feet long, 54 feet wide and have a
4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed in excess of 28 knots, a
range of 12,000 nautical miles, endurance of up to 90 days and can hold a crew
of up to 170.

The Coast
Guard is scheduled to commission its seventh and eighth national security
cutters, Kimball and Midgett, in August. Both will be homeported in Honolulu.

“Security
abroad equals security at home,” Fagan said. “Enhancing our partners’
capabilities is a force multiplier in combating transnational criminal and
terrorist organizations and deterring our adversaries.”

SAN JUAN,
Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle (WPC-1133) was commissioned
into service June 8 during a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan,
Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The Joseph
Doyle is the 33rd fast-response cutter (FRC) to be commissioned in the Coast
Guard and the seventh to be assigned to Sector San Juan and homeported in
Puerto Rico.

“Today, we
make history as we welcome the USCGC Joseph Doyle, and Puerto Rico is now the sector
in the Coast Guard with the largest number of fast-response cutters,” said Rep.
Jenniffer-González-Colón, who represents Puerto Rico in Congress. “I’m honored
to be the ship’s sponsor of this beautiful cutter and that it is also commanded
by a woman. This is part of the work we do in collaboration with the Coast
Guard, and other agencies, so Puerto Rico can have the necessary resources to
guarantee the safety of our coasts and combat illegal drug trafficking.”

“It is an
absolute honor to be the commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s 33rd fast-response
cutter, but more importantly the seventh fast-response cutter in Puerto Rico,” Lt.
Catherine Gillen said. “My crew and I look forward to serving the people of
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and keeping these beautiful islands
safe.”

“Each fast
response cutter represents an extraordinary resource [that] increases our
search-and-rescue and other multimission capabilities in our area of
responsibility,” said Capt. Eric King, commander of Coast Guard Sector San
Juan. “The Joseph Doyle will contribute to strengthening the coastal security
of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as the nation’s most southern
maritime border.”

Sentinel-class
FRCs are designed to conduct maritime drug interdiction, alien migrant
interdiction, search and rescue, national defense, homeland security, living
marine resource protection and other Coast Guard missions. They can deploy
independently to execute Coast Guard missions and prevent potential threats
from approaching the nation’s shores and offers improved capabilities over the
aging 110-foot Island-class patrol boats it replaces.

The FRC is
part of the Coast Guard’s layered approach to maritime security that also includes
the national security cutter and the offshore patrol cutter. FRCs are 154 feet
long with a beam of 25 feet, and they can reach a maximum sustained speed of 28
knots. They are armed with a 25 mm machine-gun mount and four .50-caliber
machine guns.

Each FRC
is named for a Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of
duty. The Cutter Doyle’s namesake is Capt. Joseph O. Doyle. Born in 1836 and keeper
of the Charlotte, New York, Life Saving Station starting in 1878, he achieved
two impressive rescues that year.

The first rescue
was of the wreck of the schooner B.P. Dorr of Chicago, which was discovered on Sept.
11, 1878. At 9:30 p.m. the ship stranded about one mile west of Doyle’s station.
The vessel was visible by the flare of a strong torch on board despite the
rain. With the six men and the women on board, the vessel safely and swiftly
was returned to the beach under the steady oar of the keeper. The second rescue
in which Doyle showed his skill and bravery involved the wreck of the schooner
Star of Millpoint, Ontario Canada, on Oct. 23, 1878.

Doyle was
awarded the Gold Life Saving Medal for his actions in both rescues.