PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward (WMEC 911) is scheduled to return to their home port in Portsmouth, Tuesday, following a 78-day deployment in the North Atlantic Ocean.
WHO: Cmdr. Staci Rutsch, Forward’s commanding officer, and Forward’s crew
WHAT: Forward and crew members return home after completing 78-day North Atlantic Ocean deployment
WHERE: Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, 4000 Coast Guard Blvd., Portsmouth, VA, 23703
WHEN: Tuesday, 2 p.m., Sept. 26, 2023
Editor's Note: Media are asked to RSVP no later than 10 a.m. Tuesday with Atlantic Area Public Affairs at (757) 505-9528 or by emailing uscglantarea@gmail.com. Interested media are requested to arrive no later than 1 p.m. Tuesday with a valid driver's license and proof of insurance to be processed through security.
Forward deployed in support of the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Strategy and partnered with allied nations and agencies during Operation Nanook 2023, an annual Canadian-led military exercise to strengthen maritime objectives in the high northern latitudes. During the deployment, Forward's crew conducted living marine resource enforcement patrols with international partners to include the intergovernmental Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.
Forward concluded the deployment by hosting several Indo-Pacific heads of state during the 2023 U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit in Baltimore, Maryland.
Forward is a 270-foot, Famous-class medium endurance cutter. The cutter’s primary mission areas include law enforcement, search and rescue, protection of living marine resources, homeland security and defense operations, international training and humanitarian operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.
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