SAN DIEGO — The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard delivered his third state of the Coast Guard address March 11 at Coast Guard Sector San Diego, Coast Guard Headquarters said in a release.   

Adm. Karl Schultz outlined his vision for the service to protect the homeland, enhance economic prosperity, and advance America’s national security interests. Schultz accentuated the dedication and sacrifice of Coast Guard members stationed across the country and deployed during this past year of unprecedented challenges.  

“Across the Service, I see individual Coast Guard members contributing to their communities, and standing the watch to secure the Homeland, enhance our economic prosperity, and advance our national interests across the globe,” Schultz said.   

During the annual address, Schultz reflected on the organization’s success over the past year and featured members of the Coast Guard who excelled in crisis, rescued mariners in distress, interdicted illicit narcotics, and responded to a record-setting Atlantic basin hurricane season, all complicated by the challenges presented by the COVID-19 global pandemic.   

“Coast Guard members stood the watch amidst adversity, showcasing what makes our Service special — our people,” Schultz told the mostly virtual attendees this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.  

He also underscored new Coast Guard capabilities in Southern California. “In April, we will break ground on our first new aviation unit in more than two decades — located right here in Southern California. Air Station Ventura County will significantly enhance our aviation multi-mission capability in the region,” Schultz said.   

The service chief discussed a variety of ongoing and emerging fleet recapitalization programs, providing updates on the Polar Security and Offshore Patrol Cutter acquisitions; efforts to replace the aging fleet of inland buoy and construction tenders with Waterways Commerce Cutters; and initial steps to transition to an all MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter fleet.    

Schultz further highlighted the Coast Guard’s operations in the nation’s system of ports and waterways, better known as the Marine Transportation System (MTS). The MTS is a key economic engine for the nation, fueling 26% of America’s gross domestic product (GDP) which equates to $5.4 trillion of annual economic activity and 31 million jobs.  

“Our seaports are the gateways for 90% of international trade, and the Coast Guard helps to oversee this vital economic engine that ensures energy products and other goods arrive at businesses and storefronts in every corner of our country,” Schultz highlighted.   

Download his full remarks at www.uscg.mil/AlwaysReady.  

MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. — The Coast Guard Cutter Dorado (WPB-87306) was decommissioned March 10 after 23 years of service during a ceremony in Crescent City, California. 

The Dorado was the Coast Guard’s sixth 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boat to serve as the Coast Guard’s primary nearshore patrol asset. 

“I would like to thank my crew and all previous sailors for bolstering her highly successful service life,” said Lt. Rebecca Cotton, the Dorado’s commanding officer. “They made the Dorado an unforgettable cutter in which to serve the West Coast for the past 23 years. Equally important are our partners at the 11th Coast Guard District, Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay and the city of Crescent City. I would like to extend tremendous thanks as Dorado’s success throughout the years would not have been possible without their support.” 

The Dorado was built in 1998 by Bollinger Machine Shop and Shipyard, Inc. in Lockport, Louisiana. Once construction was complete, Dorado’s crew transited the ship through the Panama Canal to reach its new homeport in Crescent City where it was officially placed into commission. 

During Dorado’s time in service, the crew completed more than 135 search and rescue cases and 1,000 law enforcement and fishery boardings. 

“The Coast Guard Cutter Dorado and her crew have been vital to our mission of safeguarding the waters of Northern California,” said Capt. Mark Hiigel, the Sector Humboldt Bay commander. “No matter what was asked of them, they answered the call and I am extremely grateful for their hard work and dedication. Dorado will be missed along our coast. However, we always stand ready to ensure the safety and security of our waterways.” 

Dorado’s crew is scheduled to sail the ship to Baltimore where it is slated to be turned in to the Foreign Military Sales program. 

Marine Protector-class patrol boats are primarily used for combating drug smuggling, illegal immigration, marine fisheries enforcement and search and rescue. 

The Coast Guard commissioned four 154-foot fast response cutters in California between 2018 and 2019, which operate along California’s entire coast and international waters off Mexico and Central America conducting missions such as search and rescue, fishery patrols, national defense and port, waterways and coastal security. 

SAN DIEGO — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL-750) offloaded approximately 7,500 pounds of seized cocaine and marijuana in San Diego, March 10, the Coast Guard 11th District said in a release. 

The drugs, worth an estimated $126.7 million, were seized in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean between January and February, representing 10 suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America by the following Coast Guard and Navy ships: 

The Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) crew was responsible for four interdictions seizing approximately 6,200 pounds of cocaine.  

The Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) crew was responsible for three interdictions seizing approximately 1,100 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana. 

The Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 107 deployed aboard the USS Freedom (LCS 1) was responsible for one interdiction seizing approximately 22 pounds of cocaine. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) crew was responsible for one interdiction seizing approximately 50 pounds of marijuana. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant (WMEC 617) crew was responsible for one interdiction seizing approximately 22 pounds of cocaine. 

Speakers at the event included Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard commandant, and Capt. Brian Anderson, the Bertholf commanding officer. 

“The 7,000 pounds of cocaine offloaded today was interdicted as a result of extraordinary effort and joint and interagency partnerships,” said Schultz. “While the Bertholf may have physically stopped or interdicted the drug smuggling vessels, our DoD and DHS partners, particularly CBP Air and Marine Operations maritime patrol aircraft, coordinated through Joint Interagency Task Force-South, put the Bertholf in the right place at the right time to conduct at-sea interdictions.” 

On April 1, U.S. Southern Command increased counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere to disrupt the flow of drugs. 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 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. 

“The crew is lauded for their dedication to duty and resiliency throughout this patrol,” Anderson said. “Tasks that once seemed routine, became more complex with personal protective equipment and decontamination procedures added to our standard operating procedures. Early in the deployment, we interdicted three go-fast vessels over a span of six hours, which demonstrated our full capabilities and our commitment to keeping America safe and secure. I couldn’t be more proud of my crew.” 

The Bertholf is a 418-foot national security cutter, commissioned in 2008 and homeported in Alameda. The Munro is a 418-foot national security cutter homeported in Alameda. The Freedom is a 387-foot littoral combat ship homeported in San Diego. The Harriet Lane is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia. The Vigilant is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida. 

Recognizing the importance of maritime commerce on the Great Lakes, three U.S. senators are calling for legislation to help the Coast Guard keep the shipping lanes open during the winter.

“Inadequate icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes is costing us thousands of American jobs and millions in business revenue. We must boost our icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes to keep our maritime commerce moving,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), who along with Sens. Todd Young (R-Indiana) and Gary Peters (D-Michigan) are reintroducing the Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act.

The bill would update the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Great Lakes icebreaking mission and increase the icebreaking capacity of the Great Lakes fleet to support “reasonable demands of commerce.” 

According to a statement from Baldwin’s office, “the Coast Guard currently interprets the ‘reasonable demands of commerce’ as meaning that an ice-covered waterway is open until a second vessel is stuck in the ice for more than 24 hours as a result of another vessel’s inability to move. They only report to Congress ice restrictions in four connecting channels for the entire Great Lakes.”

The bill defines “reasonable demands of commerce” as the “safe movement of commercial vessels transiting ice-covered waterways in the Great Lakes, regardless of type of cargo, at a speed consistent with the design capability of Coast Guard icebreakers operating in the Great Lakes.”

A study commissioned by the Lake Carriers’ Association found that during the 2018-2019 ice-season, businesses that depend upon the Great Lakes maritime industry lost over $1 billion in revenues because of delays caused by inadequate icebreaking.

“This historic bill will codify into law a long time Coast Guard mission that protects national and economic security,” said Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association.

The legislation authorizes $350 million for the construction of a new Great Lakes icebreaker.

The Coast Guard currently has one heavy icebreaker based at Cheboygan, Michigan, as well as six icebreaking tugs. The Great Lakes icebreaker USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB 30) can break ice up to 32 inches thick at continuous speeds of 3 knots. Commissioned in 2006, the 240-foot heavy icebreaker is the largest Coast Guard vessel on the Great Lakes. There are also Bay-class 140-foot icebreaking tugs that can break ice up to 22 inches thick, based at Cleveland, Detroit, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and St. Ignace in Michigan.

“Icebreaking in the Great Lakes is critical not just for Michigan’s economy, but for our entire country. As we have seen this winter, the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has made the importance of icebreaking more vital than ever to our small business community,” Peters said. 

Icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes supports more than 90 million tons of cargo annually.

“Our legislation will support icebreaking missions to expand capacity to ship goods, create jobs, and strengthen the economy in Indiana and other Great Lake states,” Young said.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant and crew returned to Cape Canaveral March 5 following a 52-day counter-drug patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard7th District said in a March 9 release. 

During their patrol in the Pacific, Vigilant’s crew worked with several U.S. and partner nation assets, including Panama’s National Aeronaval Service (SENAN), Costa Rica’s drug enforcement agency, a U.S. Navy warship, and three Coast Guard cutters. Vigilant’s crew participated in a two-day multi-domain enhanced counternarcotic subject matter exchange with SENAN, demonstrating and practicing procedures for stopping drug smuggling vessels and medical evacuations. This promoted regional stability, economic prosperity, and security through collaborative engagement. 

The Vigilant’s crew interdicted a 70-foot fishing vessel suspected of drug smuggling. The cutter’s crew discovered 1,900 pounds of cocaine hidden in the vessel’s fuel tanks with an estimated wholesale value of $26 million.  

During the course of the patrol, over 45 suspected narco-traffickers crossed Vigilant’s deck from 13 different interdictions executed by various Coast Guard cutters and Navy ships. 

“Our crew did an exceptional job providing care and security for so many detainees, especially with the additional challenges created by COVID,” said Cmdr. Fred S. Bertsch, commanding officer of Vigilant. 

The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring and interdictions, to criminal prosecutions for these interdictions by United States Attorney’s Offices from the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of California. 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. 

The Vigilant is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Cape Canaveral. The cutter primary mission include search and rescue, illegal drug interdictions, alien migrant interdictions ensuring safety of life at sea and enforcing international and domestic maritime laws. 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard repatriated 58 migrants to the Dominican Republic March 8, following the interdiction of two illegal voyages in Mona Passage waters between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a March 8 release. 

The interdicted migrants claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals. 

The interdictions are the result of ongoing efforts by Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG) partner agencies to combat illegal migrant smuggling. 

“These illegal voyages are the most deadly means of conveyance,” said Cmdr. Beau Powers, Sector San Juan chief of response. “They are dangerous and mostly involve makeshift, grossly overloaded and unseaworthy vessels. These vessels continuously flood and have the potential to capsize at any given time. To those considering taking part in an illegal voyage, do not take to the sea! You are putting your life at risk as well as the life of everyone else.” 

The aircrew of a Customs and Border Protection marine patrol aircraft detected the first illegal voyage Saturday morning. The CBP aircrew spotted a grossly overloaded 30-foot makeshift vessel 49 nautical miles west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Coast Guard watchstanders launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Borinquen and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos to interdict the suspect vessel. Shortly thereafter, the cutter Joseph Tezanos arrived on scene and stopped the migrant vessel with the assistance of the cutter’s small boat. The crew of the cutter Joseph Tezanos safely embarked 34 migrants, 32 men and two women. 

The second interdiction occurred Saturday afternoon, after the crew of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection marine patrol aircraft detected a suspect illegal voyage, in waters northeast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan diverted the cutter Joseph Tezanos to interdict the suspect vessel. Once on scene, the cutter Joseph Tezanos interdicted a 25-foot grossly overloaded makeshift boat and safely embarked the 24 migrants, 20 men and four women, who were aboard. 
 
In both cases, the crew of the cutter Joseph Tezanos had to provide lifejackets/personal flotation devices to the migrants. Once they were safely aboard the cutter, the migrants also received food, water and basic medical attention. 

The cutter Joseph Tezanos later rendezvoused with and transferred the migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel in waters just off the Dominican Republic completing their repatriation. 

MIAMI — Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations rescue crews interdicted a 30-foot vessel with 25 people aboard March 3 after they called for help reporting they were taking on water approximately 30 miles northeast of Jupiter, the Coast Guard7th District said in a release.  

The Station Lake Worth Inlet rescue crew determined the vessel was overloaded and not in danger of sinking. There were no reported medical concerns.  

Coast Guard Cutter William Flores arrived on scene and embarked 25 Haitian nationals: nine adult males, nine adult females, and seven accompanied minors for repatriation to Haiti.  

“Thankfully, the people aboard this vessel had a VHF radio in order to call for help, but there wasn’t any other lifesaving equipment on board,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason Reynolds, command duty officer, Sector Miami. “The risk of loss of life is too great to take to the seas in overloaded, unseaworthy vessels and no lifesaving gear.” 

Since Oct. 1, 2020, Coast Guard crews have interdicted 181 Haitians compared to fiscal year 2020, Oct. 1, 2019 – Sept. 30, 2020, where crews interdicted 418 Haitians.   

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 these cases reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

WASHINGTON —The Coast Guard will retire USCGC Douglas Munro at the end of March, concluding 49 years of Coast Guard service for the cutter and 54 years for the Secretary-class 378-Foot cutters. 

In a March 4 message to the Coast Guard, Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz said that on March 31 the Douglas Munro would be placed in In-Commission Special Status, which begins the decommissioning process.  

The 12 Secretary-class cutters were the mainstay of the Coast Guard’s ocean-going fleet until their replacement began 13 years ago by the new Legend-class national security cutters. Some deployed with carrier strike groups and operated in the Persian Gulf. They had an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability until 1992, when it was removed. The same year some were armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The original 5-inch gun mounts were replace in the late 1980s to mid-1990s with Mk75 76mm guns. 

The Douglas Munro, built by Avondale Shipyards in Louisiana, was commissioned on Sept. 27, 1971. It was named Munro until the Coast Guard’s new Legend-class national security cutter USCGC Munro was built. 

As the high-endurance cutters were decommissioned, they were transferred to foreign navies or coast guards. Hamilton, Dallas and Boutwell have been transferred to the Philippines; Chase and Gallatin to Nigeria; Jarvis and Rush to Bangladesh; Morgenthau to Vietnam; Sherman to Sri Lanka, and Mellon to Bahrain. John Midgette is in Seattle being prepared for delivery to Vietnam. Douglas Munro likely will serve in a foreign navy as well, though transfer has not yet been announced.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) crew arrived in their homeport of North Charleston, S.C., March 1, following the conclusion of the Operation Southern Cross, a patrol to the South Atlantic in support of counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF), the Coast Guard Atlantic Area said in a March 4 release. 
 
Taking the newly accepted cutter on its shakedown cruise, Stone’s crew covered over 21,000 miles (18,250 nautical miles) over 68 days. A mutual interest in combating IUUF activities offered an opportunity to collaborate for Stone’s crew. They interacted with partners in Guyana, Brazil, Uruguay, and Portugal, strengthening relationships and laying the foundation for increased partnerships to counter illicit maritime activity. 
 
“I could not be more proud of this crew,” said Capt. Adam Morrison, the Stone’s commanding officer. “It was no easy feat to assemble a crew and ready a cutter for sea, but to do so in a COVID-19 environment followed by a two-month patrol is truly quite amazing. While at sea, we completed all patrol objectives and strategic engagements with like-minded partners. Our crew training was balanced with shining a big spotlight on illegal fishing practices in the South Atlantic. We arrived at our homeport on Monday after nearly five months away from families and will now receive some well-deserved rest.”  
 
Even before leaving the pier, the Stone set milestones. They are the first U.S. Coast Guard cutter with a Portuguese navy member to serve aboard. Lt. Miguel Dias Pinheiro, a Portuguese navy helicopter pilot, joined the Stone’s crew for the entirety of their first patrol. 
 
Pinheiro served as both an observer and a linguist for daily operations. Further, he lent shipboard aviation experience. On this patrol, Stone certified their flight deck for aviation operations and embarked an aviation detachment from Air Station Houston. His participation in the patrol has already led to reciprocal activity with Portugal. 
 
“Working with our partner nations has not only strengthened our working relationships but has allowed the crew of the Stone to conduct training evolutions that we don’t often get to do,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jason McCarthey, the Stone’s operations officer. 
 
While in transit to conduct joint operations off Guyana’s coast, Stone encountered and interdicted a suspected narcotic trafficking vessel south of the Dominican Republic. Having stopped the illicit activity, Stone handed off the case to the USCGC Raymond Evans (WPC 1110), a fast response cutter from Key West, Florida, and continued its patrol south. 
 
Stone’s team practiced communications with the Guyana Defense Force during a fast-paced interdiction scenario. This evolution required focus and attention on both sides of the radio. 
 
In Brazil, the crew practiced communications and steaming in close formation, an essential skill for joint and combined operations. Stone’s team also gave presentations to the Brazil navy members on maritime law enforcement practices and tactics. 

“Having the opportunity to work together and exchange ideas helps us all become more proficient in achieving our shared goals,” said McCarthey. 
 
Stone was the first U.S. Coast Guard cutter to call in Uruguay in more than a decade. Stone’s crew familiarized their hosts on the Coast Guard’s full range of mission and operations, answering technical questions and sharing best practices. Uruguay expressed further interest in additional professional exchange opportunities and joint operations in the future.  
 
The Stone crew were given a unique opportunity to forge new bonds and strengthen the foundations of previous alliances in the face of a global crisis and did so through in-person and virtual engagement, conscious of the risks involved. 
 
“We are very keen to not only negotiate international agreements to address IUU fishing, as we did with the Port State Measures Agreement. We’re also very supportive of the work the Coast Guard is doing to build relationships and strengthen the operational effectiveness of all of the coastal states to combat IUU fishing,” said David Hogan, acting director of The Office of Marine Conservation, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State. 
 
Operation Southern Cross promises to expand U.S. relationships with these partner governments. Beyond Operation Southern Cross’s immediacy, the U.S. government intends these collaborations to promote long-term regional stability, security, and economic prosperity.  
 
Stone’s crew now prepares for the cutter’s commissioning on March 19. 
 
The cutter’s namesake is the late Cmdr. Elmer “Archie” Fowler Stone, who in 1917 became the Coast Guard’s first aviator and, two years later, was one of two pilots to successfully make a transatlantic flight in a Navy seaplane, landing in Portugal.  

BOSTON — The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards and Royal Canadian Air Force rescued 31 fishermen from a disabled, Canadian fishing vessel over 130 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, during the night of March 2. 

At 7:05 p.m., March 2, the Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax notified watchstanders at the Coast Guard First District Command Center that the 143-foot vessel, Atlantic Destiny, was disabled with a fire on board, and was taking on water. 

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing crew, and two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews launched and arrived on scene. 

A Royal Canadian Air Force CH-149 helicopter crew from 14 Wing Greenwood, in Nova Scotia, Canada, hoisted six crewmembers from the vessel, and dropped off two search and rescue technicians to assist in dewatering the vessel. 

The U.S. Coast Guard Jayhawk crews hoisted another 21 fishermen between the two helicopters. All hoisted crewmembers were taken to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, where they were transferred for any medical treatment. 

The remaining four crewmembers and two SAR technicians ceased dewatering efforts and were transferred to the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Cape Roger. 

The vessel owner is coordinating any salvage efforts. 

The weather on scene was 35 mph winds and 15-foot seas.