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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The crew of the USCGC Venturous (WMEC 625) returned to their homeport in St. Petersburg, Tuesday, following a 47-day patrol in the Florida Straits and Windward Passage.
Patrolling in support of Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast and Operation Vigilant Sentry in the Seventh Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility, Venturous’ crew conducted maritime safety and security missions while working to detect, deter and intercept unsafe and illegal maritime migration ventures bound for the United States.
Venturous’ crew interdicted multiple unsafe and overloaded migrant vessels, including one boat that had been adrift for nearly 15 days at sea. Over the course of the patrol, the crew provided care for 264 migrants including food, water, shelter and medical aid and repatriated 206 migrants back to their country of origin.
“Often, migrant interdiction operations quickly turn into urgent rescue for the homemade, overloaded and dangerously unsafe vessels attempting to reach the southeast border by sea,” said Cmdr. Cory Riesterer, commanding officer of Venturous. “I am proud of the professionalism displayed by the crew throughout this mentally and physically challenging mission.”
During the patrol, Venturous also responded to a joint mission request with the Department of Defense in response to a high-altitude balloon. Venturous’ crew partnered with other Coast Guard assets to enforce a security zone to protect the public from a projected splash point and debris recovery operations off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Venturous is a 210-foot, Reliance-class medium endurance cutter. The cutter’s primary missions are counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcement of federal fishery laws and search and rescue in support of U.S. Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.
For information on how to join the U.S. Coast Guard, visit GoCoastGuard.com to learn about active duty, reserve, officer, and enlisted opportunities. Information on how to apply to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy can be found here.
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