Coast Guard Cutter Kimball returns home following Western Pacifi
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) crew members reunite with family members as Kimball returns to Honolulu following a 42-day Western Pacific patrol, March 10, 2023. Kimball was the first U.S. military ship in recent history to visit the port city of Kagoshima, Japan, during their patrol where the crew partnered with servicemembers from Japan Coast Guard’s 10th District to plan and conduct combined operations and search-and-rescue exercises. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ens. Philip Rogers.
Coast Guard Cutter Kimball returns home following Western Pacifi
The famliy member of a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) crew member looks at Honolulu's skyline from the Kimball as Kimball returns to Honolulu following a 42-day Western Pacific patrol, March 10, 2023. Kimball was the first U.S. military ship in recent history to visit the port city of Kagoshima, Japan, during their patrol where the crew partnered with servicemembers from Japan Coast Guard’s 10th District to plan and conduct combined operations and search-and-rescue exercises. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ens. Philip Rogers.
Coast Guard Cutter Kimball conducts flight operations during Wes
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crew member Ens. Laura May and an aircrew aboard a MH-65 Dolphin from Air Station Barbers Point conduct flight operations while underway in the Pacific Ocean during Kimball's Aviation Standardization, Jan. 27, 2023. Kimball deployed to the Western Pacific for a 42-day patrol and was the first U.S. military ship in recent history to visit the port city of Kagoshima, Japan, where the crew partnered with servicemembers from Japan Coast Guard’s 10th District to plan and conduct combined operations and search-and-rescue exercises. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ens. Philip Rogers.
Coast Guard Cutter Kimball visits Kagoshima, Japan, during Weste
Capt. Thomas D’Arcy, Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) commanding officer, conducts an interview with members of the media during an engagement in Kagoshima, Japan, during the cutter’s Western Pacific patrol, Feb. 10, 2023. Kimball was the first U.S. military ship in recent history to visit Kagoshima, during their patrol where the crew partnered with servicemembers from Japan Coast Guard’s 10th District to plan and conduct combined operations and search-and-rescue exercises. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ens. Philip Rogers.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball arrives in Kagoshima, Japan
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) arrives in Kagoshima, Japan, Feb. 10, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard expanding on a recently signed memorandum of cooperation between the two sea services. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.
U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard crews conduct joint search-a
A boat crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 26-foot Mark IV over-the-horizon small boat follows Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 35-foot long-range interceptor small boat and the Japan Coast Guard patrol craft Satsukaze as the boat crews transit Kagoshima Bay, Japan, during a joint search-and-rescue exercise, Feb. 14, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard, expanding on a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services, which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements, and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.
U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard crews conduct joint search-a
A Japan Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter aircrew prepares to hoist a Japan Coast Guard Mobile Rescue Technician from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 35-foot long-range interceptor small boat during a joint search-and-rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, Feb. 14, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard, expanding on a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services, which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements, and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.
U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard crews conduct joint search-a
A boat crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 26-foot over-the-horizon small boat surveys the water during a joint search-and-rescue exercise with members of the Japan Coast Guard in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, Feb. 14, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard, expanding on a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services, which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements, and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.
U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard crews conduct joint search-a
A Japan Coast Guard Mobile Rescue Technician hoists a simulated swimmer in distress from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 35-foot long-range interceptor small boat to a Japan Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter during a joint search-and-rescue exercise in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, Feb. 14, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard, expanding on a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services, which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements, and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.
/ Published March 14, 2023
HONOLULU — The Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) and crew returned to their Honolulu homeport, Friday, following a 42-day, 10,000 nautical mile Western Pacific patrol.
Kimball was the first U.S. military ship in recent history to visit the port city of Kagoshima, Japan, where the crew partnered with servicemembers from Japan Coast Guard’s 10th District to plan and conduct combined operations and search-and-rescue exercises.
Kimball’s crew met with Japan Coast Guard senior leadership and hosted Japan Coast Guard servicemembers, U.S. Consulate Fukuoka staff, community leaders and local media aboard the cutter during the port visit in support of Operation SAPPHIRE.
Operation SAPPHIRE is a joint agreement between the U.S. and Japan Coast Guards signed in 2022 for enhancing cooperation between the two sea services. SAPPHIRE is an acronym for the ‘Solid Alliance for Peace and Prosperity with Humanity and Integrity on the Rule of law-based Engagement.’
“By collaborating with Japan Coast Guard members and conducting evolutions that enhanced communication and inter-operability during the patrol, the crew continued to strengthen a solid foundation for the positive and productive relationship with the maritime service of a like-minded nation,” said Captain Tom D’Arcy, Kimball’s commanding officer.
Kimball’s crew demonstrated proficiency in the ship’s aviation program by working with an air operations inspection team to conduct a biennial Shipboard-Aviation Standardization Inspection (AVSTAN). By achieving their AVSTAN certification, Kimball can continue deploying with aviation detachments during future patrols.
Kimball also supported U.S. Coast Guard efforts to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific. Kimball's crew delivered a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Barber’s Point to Santa Rita, Guam, to enable forward operations that extend the service’s air coverage in the region.
During the patrol, the cutter’s engineering department was presented with the Rear Admiral R. S. Lucas Plaque Award for their outstanding contributions to the Coast Guard’s naval engineering program. Members from Kimball’s engineering department were cited for excellence and ingenuity during recent patrols and for completing three extensive industrial periods encompassing significant maintenance, contractual repair projects, and casualty repairs valued at over $4.4 million.
“I am extremely proud of our crew’s accomplishments,” said D’Arcy. “Kimball continues to remain on the front lines of the Coast Guard’s strategic plan. Our engagements in Japan strengthened our existing relationships with international partners who uphold good maritime governance. Kimball’s patrol re-affirmed the U.S. Coast Guard’s commitment to facilitating a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Commissioned in 2019, Kimball is the Coast Guard’s seventh national security cutter and one of two homeported in Honolulu. National security cutters are 418-feet-long, 54-feet-wide and have a displacement of 4,500 long-tons. With a range of 12,000 nautical miles, the advanced technologies of Legend-class national security cutters are designed to support the national objective to maintain the security of America’s maritime boundaries and provide long range search-and-rescue capabilities.
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