ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Resolute (WMEC 620) returned to their home port in St. Petersburg, Thursday, following a 67-day patrol in the Windward Passage of the Caribbean Sea.
Resolute deployed in support of Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast (HSTF-SE) and Operation Vigilant Sentry (OVS) to patrol the Coast Guard's Seventh District area of operations. While underway, Resolute’s crew conducted maritime safety and security missions while working to detect, deter, and intercept unsafe and illegal migrant ventures bound for the United States.
During the patrol, Resolute’s crew interdicted an overloaded and unseaworthy vessel with 94 Haitian migrants 30 miles off the north coast of Haiti. Boarding teams embarked all 94 migrants onto Resolute where crew members provided shelter and care for three days, before repatriation.
“I could not be prouder of this crew and what they were able to accomplish during this patrol,” said Cmdr. Michael Ross, commanding officer of Resolute. “They answered the call and responded to each case with dignity, compassion, and professionalism.”
Resolute also conducted joint training with an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from the Coast Guard’s forward-deployed aviation detachment in the Bahamas, while underway in the Caribbean. Resolute performed in-flight refueling, vertical replenishment, and basket hoist training to enhance mission readiness.
During time off from operations, Resolute crew members volunteered at Fundación Casa Niños Felices, an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Resolute’s crew volunteered their liberty to spend time with over 30 orphans, furthering their humanitarian outreach efforts.
HSTF-SE serves as the Department of Homeland Security lead for operational and tactical planning, command and control, and as a standing organization to deter, mitigate, and respond to maritime mass migration in the Caribbean Sea and the Florida Straits. HSTF-SE continues enhanced enforcement efforts in support of OVS, the 2004 DHS plan to respond to irregular maritime migration in the Caribbean Sea and the Straits of Florida.
Resolute is a 210-foot, Reliance-class medium endurance cutter. The cutter’s primary missions are counter-drug operations, migrant interdiction, 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.