NEW LONDON, Conn. — The U.S. Coast Guard Academy continues to be featured as one of the nation’s top institutions of higher learning this year in prominent college rankings, the academy said in a Sept.14 release. 

The U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review annual college rankings are a comprehensive look at how accredited four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. compare in a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence in higher education. 

This year the Academy ranked #1 in the overall Regional Colleges North and in the Top Public Schools Regional Colleges North categories in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges magazine. The academy was also ranked 2nd in the Most Innovative Schools, 4th in Best Undergraduate Teaching and 11th in the Best in Undergraduate Engineering Programs categories in the same publication. 

The Princeton Review also ranked the academy in their annual Best 382 Colleges publication, a listing of the top 15% of colleges and universities in America. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy offers a quality higher education experience that emphasizes leadership, physical fitness and professional development leading to a guaranteed job upon graduation as an officer in the United States Coast Guard. 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser (WPC-1116) repatriated 30 of 31 migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel Sept. 11, following the interdiction of two illegal migrant voyages Monday and Thursday in the Mona Passage west of Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in release. 

The two migrant groups claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals. One of the migrants interdicted Monday remains in U.S. custody facing criminal immigration charges in Puerto Rico. 

The interdictions are the result of ongoing multiagency efforts in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group CBIG. 

“The crew of the Robert Yered performed exceptionally well during the interdiction of two illegal migrant ventures totaling 31 people,” said Lt. Harrison Carter, cutter Robert Yered commanding officer. “These dangerously overloaded and unseaworthy vessels with no lifesaving equipment onboard were only found and interdicted through the hard work and effective collaboration between the Coast Guard and partner agency crews involved in these cases.” 

The first interdiction occurred during a routine patrol Monday morning, when the crew of a Coast Guard Clearwater HC-130 aircraft detected an illegal migrant voyage, approximately five nautical miles west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. 

The migrant group was traveling aboard a 20-foot makeshift boat that was transporting 10 men and two women. The crew of cutter Robert Yered safely embarked the migrants for safety of life at sea concerns. 

The crew of a Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit interdicted a second illegal voyage Wednesday night, approximately seven nautical miles offshore from Isabela, Puerto Rico. The migrant group was traveling aboard a 28-foot makeshift boat with 19 men aboard. 

After embarking the migrants in each case, the crew conducted biometrics processing, which revealed the criminal history for the migrant who is facing federal prosecution.     

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants received food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Throughout the interdiction, Coast Guard crewmembers were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. There were no migrants in these cases reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

Cutter Robert Yered rendezvoused with and transferred the migrants to the cutter Winslow Griesser for their transport to Dominican Republic territorial waters off Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for their repatriation. 

Cutters Robert Yered and Winslow Griesser are 154-foot fast response cutters homeported in Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, respectively. 

SAN DIEGO — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL-750) offloaded more than 26,000 pounds of seized cocaine and marijuana in San Diego, Sept. 10, the Coast Guard 11th District said in a release. 

The drugs, worth an estimated $390 million, were seized in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They represent 13 suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America between late May and late August by the following Coast Guard and Navy ships: 

• The Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL-750) crew was responsible for two interdictions seizing approximately 6,700 pounds of cocaine. 
• The Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL-752) crew was responsible for three interdictions seizing approximately 6,000 pounds of cocaine. 
• The Coast Guard Cutter Confidence (WMEC-619) crew was responsible for two interdictions seizing approximately 50 pounds of cocaine. 
• The Coast Guard Cutter Decisive (WMEC-629) crew was responsible for one interdiction seizing approximately 1,900 pounds of cocaine. 
• The Coast Guard Cutter Venturous (WMEC-625) crew was responsible for one interdiction seizing approximately 1,100 pounds of cocaine. 
• The Coast Guard Cutter Tampa (WMEC-902) crew was responsible for two interdictions seizing approximately 1,600 pounds of cocaine and 3,650 pounds of marijuana. 
• The USS Kidd (DDG-100) with embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) was responsible for one interdiction seizing approximately 500 pounds of cocaine. 
• The USS Preble (DDG-88) with embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) was responsible for one interdiction seizing approximately 4,400 pounds of cocaine. 

Speakers at the Bertholf drug-offloading event included Director Jim Carroll, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Mr. Robert Brewer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the United States Coast Guard, and Capt. Brian Anderson, Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf commanding officer. 

The offload from the Bertholf follows the August 27, 2020, offload of more than 11,500 pounds of seized suspected cocaine and 17,000 pounds of marijuana from the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton (WMSL-753) in Port Everglades representing 10 interdictions in the same region. So far in fiscal year 2020, the Coast Guard has made more than 171 interdictions, seized more than 282,000 pounds of cocaine, 57,000 pounds of marijuana, and detained more than 391 suspected smugglers in drug transit zones of the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. 

“I’m extremely proud of the hard work and dedication displayed by the men and women of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf, especially in this current environment,” said Anderson. “The crew adapted and implemented new protocols in response to the added risk of COVID-19 exposure in the course of operations. They remained focused on what they needed to do to keep each other safe and effectively accomplish the mission of keeping these drugs off our streets, which will save countless lives.” 

On April 1, U.S. Southern Command began enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere to disrupt the flow of drugs in support of Presidential National Security Objectives. Numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, play a role in counter-drug operations.  

“The routine during this patrol was different than most, but the U.S. Coast Guard rose to the challenge, as they always do,” said Carroll. “These efforts by our U.S. Coast Guard and United States Navy are critical to reducing the availability of illicit drugs in our country. They are absolutely committed to saving lives, and their work that you see here today will result in lives being saved across the United States.” 

The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring and interdictions, to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in districts across the nation. The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean is conducted under the authority of the 11th Coast Guard District, headquartered in Alameda. The interdictions, including the actual boardings, are led and conducted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard. 

“These results are unity of effort in action,” said Shultz. “Whole of Government, whole of partnerships, this is what it takes to keep illicit drugs off American streets. We take these drugs down at sea, where they’re most vulnerable, where they’re most susceptible to intercept. In doing that, we break the cycle of those drugs landing in Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico and triggering violence and corruption. That’s why this matters.” 

The Bertholf is a 418-foot national security cutter, commissioned in 2008 and homeported in Alameda. 

KEY WEST, Fla. — The Coast Guard interdicted five Cuban migrants Sept. 5 approximately 35 miles south of Marathon, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a Sept. 8 release. 

Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a notification of a 6-foot rustic vessel with five people aboard traveling 30 miles south of Marathon and launched a Coast Guard Station Marathon 33-foot Special Purpose Craft—Law Enforcement crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans (WPC-1110) crew to the scene. Coast Guard 7th District watchstanders authorized the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew. 

The cutter Raymond Evans crew safely embarked all five adult male Cuban migrants and transferred them to the Coast Guard Cutter William Trump (WPC-1111) crew. The cutter William Trump crew repatriated the five migrants to Cuba. 

“These illegal ventures attempting to immigrate to the United States are extremely dangerous, especially during the hurricane season when weather and sea conditions can dramatically and rapidly change in minutes putting migrants in danger of being lost at sea,” said Lt. Kelsey Freeman, commanding officer cutter of the Raymond Evans. “The Coast Guard and our partner agencies’ first priority is safety of life at sea and these voyages in ill-equipped vessels aren’t safe. The Coast Guard and our partner agencies maintain their focused and coordinated efforts to interdict and stop these unlawful migration attempts into the United States.” 

Approximately 35 Cuban migrants have attempted to illegally enter the U.S. via the maritime environment in fiscal year 2020 compared to 327 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2019.  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. Throughout the interdiction, Coast Guard crew members were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. There were no migrants in this case reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) returned home Sept. 7 to Alameda following a three-month, 15,000-mile, multi-mission patrol, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a release. 

Munro’s crew began their patrol in the Bering Sea and spent 37 days enforcing fisheries regulations from Alaska to the maritime boundary line separating U.S. and Russian waters. 

Munro’s crew boarded 11 commercial fishing vessels to ensure compliance with U.S. fishery and safety regulations. In addition to patrolling the Aleutian Islands, Munro patrolled the maritime boundary line to prevent foreign fishing vessel incursions into U.S. waters. The cutter joined a Russian Border Guard vessel to conduct the joint border patrol to promote both countries’ economic security. 

Following their Alaska Patrol, Munro represented the Coast Guard by participating in an at-sea-only iteration of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2020 exercise Aug. 17-31, in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands. 

RIMPAC encompassed 10 nations, with a total of 22 ships, one submarine and multiple aircraft. Munro conducted formation steaming exercises, communications drills, maritime intercept operations and live-fire training alongside partner nations. Munro’s crew demonstrated their interoperability with the U.S. Navy promoting maritime governance in support of national defense. RIMPAC provided a unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain cooperative relationships critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s interconnected oceans. 

The at-sea-only construct for RIMPAC 2020 was developed to ensure the safety of all military forces participating and Hawaii’s population by minimizing shore-based contingents while striking a balance between combating future adversaries and the COVID-19 threat. 

Munro’s patrol included the embarkation of a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter and aircrew from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21, nicknamed the “Blackjacks” during RIMPAC. 

Over two weeks, Munro and the Blackjacks conducted 380 flight evolutions, 55 touch-and-go landings, 34 vertical replenishment evolutions transferring cargo by helicopter, and multiple helicopter in-flight refuels. 

“This has been an extremely rewarding patrol,” said Munro’s Commanding Officer Capt. Blake Novak. “This was Munro’s first Alaska Patrol. It was an incredible opportunity to patrol as far north as the Arctic Circle to protect our borders and natural resources, and then transition to leveraging our DOD partnership with RIMPAC exercises. Conducting two distinctly different missions within the same deployment is what makes the Coast Guard unique and why I chose this service. COVID has been a challenge, but we met that challenge by establishing processes to maintain readiness and operate safely. Munro’s success is attributed to the young women and men that make up our diverse crew. While we have enjoyed our time at sea, and are proud of our accomplishments, we are excited to return home to our loved ones.” 

To ensure the safety of Munro’s crew deploying during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the crew conducted pre-deployment COVID-19 testing, followed by a 14-day monitoring period. Throughout their patrol, Munro’s crew maintained strict health precautions during all interactions with the public, including wearing N95 respirators at all times and undergoing intensive decontamination procedures following the completion of each boarding. 

Commissioned in 2017, Munro is the Coast Guard’s sixth 418-foot Legend-class national security cutter and one of four homeported in Alameda. National security cutters have a crew of more than 150 and are among the largest and most technologically sophisticated vessels in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The cutters can operate globally in the most demanding open ocean environments, from the North Pacific’s hazardous fishing grounds to the Eastern Pacific’s vast approaches, where its crews battle transnational crime. 

ALAMEDA, Calif. – In coordination with the Ecuadorian navy, the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) recently completed a joint patrol to detect and deter potential Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the vicinity of the Galapagos Islands, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a Sept. 3 release. 

From Aug. 25-29, Bertholf patrolled over 3,000 square nautical miles of Ecuadorian and international waters and conducted joint operations with the Ecuadorian naval vessel LAE Isla San Cristobal (LG-30), providing persistent presence and surveillance of fishing activity throughout the region. 

The joint operation highlights a significant Coast Guard partnership with a South American country to detect, deter and ensure adherence to international maritime norms for fishing. 

Information gathered during the operation was shared with Ecuador to strengthen future compliance efforts and gain greater shared awareness of potential IUU fishing activity. 

“It was a unique opportunity to sail together with the Ecuadorian navy, and we were impressed by their professionalism and dedication to the fight against illegal fishing,” said Capt. Brian Anderson, Bertholf’s commanding officer.  “This joint operation demonstrates the effectiveness and importance of our international partnerships.” 

IUU fishing is a global security, economic, and environmental threat that undermines national sovereignty and weakens the international rules-based order.  

Up to 27 million tons of fish are caught illegally each year, which accounts for 20-30% of total global annual catch. Economic losses from IUU fishing are estimated to be as much as $23.5 billion per year. 

“The United States remains committed to the international effort to combat IUU fishing and the illegal exploitation of the ocean’s fish stocks,” said Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, the Pacific Area commander.  “The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to safeguard our national interests and build lasting international partnerships that promote the rule of law and sovereignty for all nations.” 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered (WPC-1104) repatriated 20 of 21 migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel Sept. 2, following the interdiction of an illegal migrant voyage in the Mona Passage west of Puerto Rico. 

The remaining migrant was turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents to face possible criminal immigration and migrant smuggling charges in Puerto Rico. The interdiction is the result of ongoing multiagency efforts in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group. 

“The crew of the cutter Robert Yered’s response led to a swift interdiction and safe recovery of all the migrants in this case,” said Cmdr. Beau Powers, Sector San Juan chief of response. “The danger migrants face during this and mostly all attempted illegal voyages is quite real, especially when they trust their safety to ruthless smugglers who embark them aboard grossly overloaded and unseaworthy vessels with little or no lifesaving equipment aboard. These vessels are known for taking on water throughout the entire voyage and could easily capsize at any given moment.” 

While on a routine patrol Sept. 1, the crew of the cutter Robert Yered detected and interdicted an illegal migrant voyage, approximately 14 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. 

The migrant group was traveling aboard a 28-foot makeshift boat that was transporting 20 men and a woman, who claimed to all be Dominican Republic nationals. The crew of cutter Robert Yered safely embarked the migrants for safety of life at sea concerns, while a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Borinquen provided rescue support overhead.  

After embarking all migrants, the crew conducted biometrics processing for the group, which were analyzed by the National Counterterrorism Center. The records checks revealed a criminal and immigration history for one migrant, who is under further investigation and faces federal prosecution.     

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Throughout the interdiction, Coast Guard crewmembers were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. There were no migrants in this case reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

Cutter Robert Yered transported the remaining migrants to Dominican Republic territorial waters off Punta Cana, where the transfer and repatriation of the migrants to Dominican Republic navy authorities was completed. 

Cutter Robert Yered is a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in Miami. 

BOSTON — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Seneca departed Coast Guard Base Boston on Sept. 2, en route to their new homeport in Portsmouth, Virginia, the Coast Guard 1st District said in a release. 

After 33 years homeported in Boston, Seneca will continue service with six other 270-foot, medium-endurance cutters, homeported at Coast Guard Base Portsmouth. This will allow the Coast Guard to better leverage efficiencies gained by clustering vessels of the same class. 

Seneca was formally commissioned in Boston on May 9, 1987. Since then, Seneca’s crew has conducted nearly all of the Coast Guard’s missions throughout New England, the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, all while calling Boston home. 

In the late 1990s, Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, along with Coast Guard Cutter Galatin, was part of Operation New Frontier, a counter-narcotics operation that tested the use of high-speed pursuit boats and armed helicopters. The operation was successfully completed March 13, 2000, and lead to the creation of the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron in Jacksonville, Florida. 

More recently, Seneca’s crew assisted in the rescue of 187 Haitian migrants approximately 17 miles southwest of Turks and Caicos Islands on December 22, 2019. The Coast Guard, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and Turks and Caicos Islands Police worked together to rescue all 187 people after they were spotted onboard a single 30-foot vessel. 

Seneca shares its name with the Revenue Cutter Seneca, the first cutter to engage in official ice patrol duties after the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, and one of five Coast Guard cutters that made up Squadron 2 of Division 6 of the Atlantic Fleet Patrol Forces during World War I. 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard, Navy and U.S. law enforcement partners seized 225 kilograms of cocaine and apprehended three suspected smugglers following the interdiction of a drug smuggling go-fast in the Caribbean Sea on Aug. 24, the Coast Guard 7th District said in an Aug. 29 release. 

Two suspected smugglers are Dominican Republic nationals, and one is Colombian, while the seized cocaine has a wholesale value of approximately $6 million. 

The interdiction is the result of an international, multi-agency law enforcement effort in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard, Campaign Martillo (a joint, interagency, 20-nation collaborative counter narcotic effort), and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF), will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. 

“The strong relationship and collaboration between the Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy continuously yields positive outcomes as evidenced by this case,” said Rear Adm. Eric Jones, commander of Coast Guard Seventh District. “The shared unwavering resolve and daily interaction between our Department of Defense and local and federal law enforcement partners in the region help safeguard and strengthen the Caribbean region against this threat. We are committed to the protection of our nation’s southernmost maritime border and of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” 

During a routine patrol in support of Joint Interagency Task Force – South’s mission to detect attempts to transport contraband into the U.S. and partner nations, the USS Kidd’s (DDG 100) helicopter crew sighted a suspicious go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea. The USS Kidd, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer operating with U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 401 onboard, coordinated with the Coast Guard Seventh District to interdict the suspect vessel. 

The helicopter crew observed the suspected smugglers jettison multiple bales into the water as the go-fast continued to evade capture. The USS Kidd successfully interdicted and boarded the go-fast with the assistance of the CG LEDET 401. The USS Kidd’s crew and CG LEDET 401 apprehended the suspected smugglers and recovered eight jettisoned bales from the water. The seized contraband tested positive for cocaine. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Resolute (WMEC-620) embarked and transported the suspected smugglers and seized contraband to San Juan, Puerto Rico Saturday, where awaiting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-HSI, and DEA special agents received custody. 

Cutter Resolute is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in St. Petersburg Fla. 

The USS Kidd is homeported in Naval Station Everett, Washington. 

NEW ORLEANS — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Reliance (WMEC-615) arrived Monday at the cutter’s new homeport in Pensacola, Florida, following a dry dock period and Caribbean patrol, the Coast Guard 8th District said in an Aug. 31 release. 

The Reliance crew oversaw repairs to the cutter followed by migrant repatriation efforts in the Windward Pass supporting Coast Guard 7th District operations. 

The cutter and crew departed their former homeport at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, on July 6, 2020, sailing for the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland, to effect repairs to the propulsion shafts. On Aug. 5, the crew sailed from the Coast Guard Yard to begin a patrol of the Windward Pass between Cuba, the Bahamas and Haiti, alongside interagency and international partners to prevent dangerous, illegal maritime migration. 

The patrol included the repatriation of 16 Haitian migrants, participation in a search for survivors of a capsized Haitian vessel, shipboard training and storm avoidance. 

“Reliance’s departure from Kittery, Maine, brings an end to 31 years of faithful service in the North Atlantic,” said Cmdr. Robert Hill, commanding officer of the cutter Reliance. “The crew has performed exceptionally during our patrol amidst the challenges faced by COVID-19 and multiple tropical storms that arose. I could not be prouder of this crew and know that we are ready to continue our service in Pensacola, where the Coast Guard has strategically clustered part of its 210-foot cutter fleet for logistical support and proximity to our mission area of responsibility.” 

The homeport shift to Pensacola marks the second time Reliance has been homeported in Florida; Reliance was homeported in Port Canaveral from 1982 until 1987. 

The Reliance is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter. It is the first of the 210-foot medium-endurance cutter fleet and the fourth Revenue Cutter/Coast Guard cutter to bear the name Reliance. The cutter’s primary missions are counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcing federal fishery laws, and search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.