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.

MIAMI — The
Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton (WMSL-753) crew is scheduled to offload about 26,000
pounds of seized cocaine and about 1,500 pounds of seized marijuana June 6 at
Port Everglades, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The drugs
were interdicted in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the
coasts of Mexico and Central and South America, including contraband seized and
recovered in more than a dozen interdictions of suspected drug smuggling
vessels by U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy ships:

Hamilton was
responsible for four cases, seizing about 1,400 pounds of marijuana and some
9,000 pounds of cocaine.

Cutter
Resolute (WMEC-620) was responsible for four interdictions seizing approximately
7,550 pounds of cocaine.

Her Majesty’s
Canadian Ship Whitehorse with a U.S. Coast Guard law-enforcement detachment
aboard interdicted two suspected smuggling boats and seizing more than 2,000
pounds of cocaine.

HMCS
Yellowknife, also with a Coast Guard law-enforcement detachment aboard, was
responsible for one interdiction, seizing more than 50 pounds of marijuana.

The Coast
Guard Cutter Mohawk (WMEC-913) was responsible for five cases, seizing nearly
8,600 pounds of cocaine.

“The crew of
Hamilton has shown the utmost commitment and dedication to the Coast Guard and
to the United States over the course of the last three months,” said Capt.
Mark Gordon, commanding officer of the Hamilton.

“It is
incredibly difficult for our crew to be separated from family and loved ones
for such an extended time, but their perseverance and enthusiasm to conducting
this mission was fundamental to our success. Without their determination these
criminal organizations would continue to spread fear and violence throughout
the Americas.”

Hamilton is a
418-foot national security cutter homeported in Charleston, South Carolina. Resolute
is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida.
HMCS Whitehorse and Yellowknife are Royal Canadian Navy Kingston-class
coastal-defense vessels homeported in Esquimalt, British Columbia. Mohawk is a
270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Key West, Florida.

BOSTON — U.S.
Coast Guard Cutter Campbell returned to its homeport in Kittery, Maine, on June
4 after an 87-day patrol in the North Atlantic, the Coast Guard 1st District
said in a release.

Campbell’s
crew executed a fast-paced patrol, including search-and-rescue missions,
enforcement of federal fisheries regulations, international training exercises
with the U.S. and Canadian navies and Fleet Week in New York City.

During the
patrol, Campbell’s crew safely towed two disabled vessels. The 72-foot fishing
vessel Sea Rambler, carrying more than 25,000 pounds of fish, was adrift 40
miles southeast of Portland, Maine. The crew also towed sailing vessel Reflection,
in distress 280 miles off the coast of Nantucket after suffering a rudder
casualty, to Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts.

The Campbell’s
crew also conducted 57 living marine resources boardings and identified nine
vessel safety and fishing violations.

As part of
Operation Frontier Sentinel, Campbell conducted joint military operations in
Canadian waters with the USS Jason Dunham and HMCS Ville De Quebec.

Near the
end of the patrol, the cutter and crew participated in New York City’s Fleet
Week celebration. Campbell led the Parade of Ships into New York Harbor and
provided tours for more than 1,000 visitors during a three-day visit to Staten
Island.

“I am
incredibly proud of the crew for their outstanding performance during our
87-day patrol in the North Atlantic Ocean,” said Cmdr. Mark McDonnell,
commanding officer of Campbell. “They safeguarded mariners and protected our
vital New England fisheries. We thoroughly enjoyed participating in Operation
Frontier Sentinel and Fleet Week in New York City.”

The
Campbell crew navigated 10,039 nautical miles throughout the patrol.

Campbell is a 30-year-old
Famous-class medium-endurance cutter homeported with a crew of 100.

SAN JUAN,
Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard repatriated 12 Dominican migrants to a Dominican
Navy patrol vessel June 2 following the at-sea interdiction of an illegal
migrant voyage May 30 in the Mona Passage, the Coast Guard 7th District said.

Two 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 re-entry 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.

“Migrants
endanger their lives when taking part in an illegal voyage aboard makeshift and
grossly overloaded boats with little or no lifesaving equipment,” said Lt.
Cmdr. Rafael Batlle, commanding officer of the cutter Heriberto Hernandez.

“I’m proud of
my crew and thankful that we were able to arrive in time and rescue all these
persons from a very dangerous situation. Most of them were dehydrated,
disoriented, weakened and even sea sick.”

While on a
routine patrol on the night of May 30, the crew of a Coast Guard HC-144
maritime patrol aircraft detected a migrant vessel that was transiting without navigational
lights. The migrant boat was about 10 nautical miles north Mona Island, Puerto
Rico.

Coast Guard
watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted the Heriberto Hernandez to interdict
the suspect vessel. Shortly thereafter, the cutter’s crew interdicted the
30-foot makeshift boat and embarked all 14 men from their vessel that was
taking on water and in danger of sinking.

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

The Heriberto
Hernandez transferred custody of the two migrants facing federal prosecution to
Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The remaining
migrants were transferred to the Coast Guard cutter Winslow Griesser (WPC-1116),
which transported the migrants to Dominican waters just off Samaná, Dominican
Republic, for their repatriation.

JACKSONVILLE,
Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant returned home May 27 to Naval
Station Mayport following a nine-week counter-drug patrol in the eastern Pacific,
the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The Valiant
crew patrolled more than 14,000 nautical miles in the eastern Pacific in
support of Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S).

While on
patrol, the crew interdicted two go-fast smuggling vessels, seized 2,718 pounds
of cocaine worth over $41 million and apprehended three suspected drug
smugglers. The crew ensured the safe and efficient transfer of all suspected
smugglers, evidence and narcotics to the United States for future prosecution.

“The
noteworthy results of Valiant’s patrol underscore what a well-trained crew can
accomplish with a still highly-capable 51-year-old Coast Guard cutter,” said
Cmdr. Matthew Waldron, Valiant’s commanding officer.

While on a
port of call in Chiapas, Mexico, a contingent of the Valiant crew dedicated a
day to a local surf mission, cleaning beaches and playing soccer and volleyball
with local children. Its navigation through the Panama Canal earned the crew
the “Order of the Ditch” nautical certificate.

The Valiant
is a multimission 210-foot medium-endurance cutter. Missions include search and
rescue, maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection, homeland
security and national defense operations.

KEY WEST,
Fla.— The Coast Guard interdicted 10 Cuban migrants and two suspected smugglers
on May 21 about 12 miles off Villa Clara Province, Cuba, the Coast Guard 7th
District said in a release.

Coast Guard
7th District watchstanders received notification of an illegal departure of a
30-foot go-fast vessel with 12 people aboard in the vicinity of Villa Clara
Province.

A Coast Guard
Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft crew located the vessel and
vectored the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans (WPC-1110) crew to the location,
where the crew embarked 10 males and two females. The Evans crew repatriated
the 10 Cuban migrants back to their home. The two suspected smugglers were
transferred into Homeland Security Investigations custody.

“The
Coast Guard maintains a focused and coordinated effort with multiple agency
assets to interdict any attempt to unlawfully immigrate by sea to the United
States,” said Rear Adm. Peter J. Brown, commander of Coast Guard 7th District.

The 7th
District, based in Miami, Florida, oversees all Coast Guard operations in South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands.

Brown is also
the director of Homeland Security Task Force Southeast, a standing multiagency
team that unifies the whole of government effort to monitor, identify, mitigate
and respond to large-scale migration events.

About 290
Cuban migrants have tried to illegally enter the U.S. by sea in fiscal year
2019 compared to 384 in fiscal 2018. These numbers represent the total number
of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the
Caribbean and Atlantic.

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