Coast Guard Cutter Confidence returns home from 44-day northern Caribbean Sea patrol

united states coast guard 

News Release  

Feb. 24, 2017
U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Jacksonville
Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Jacksonville
Office: (904) 714-7606/7607
After Hours: (305) 318-1864

Coast Guard Cutter Confidence returns home from 44-day northern Caribbean Sea patrol

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Confidence returned Friday to their homeport in Port Canaveral following a 44-day northern Caribbean Sea patrol.

During their patrol of the Florida Straits and the Windward Passage, the crew conducted alien migrant interdiction operations, conducted search and rescue operations, helped coordinate assets offshore and ensured the boating public complied with Coast Guard safety standards.

While in the Windward Passage, the crew interacted with Haitian mariners and warned them of the hazards associated with making ill-prepared sea journeys. Confidence crewmembers also interviewed them to better understand the motivations of people choosing to leave via these hazardous means. Such information gathering helps inform the governments of Haiti and the U.S. to target their relief efforts.

While conducting helicopter operations off Haiti’s coast, a vessel operator contacted the Coast Guard by radio requesting help with flooding aboard their boat. The Confidence crew worked hand in hand with the Coast Guard helicopter crew to locate the vessel and attempted to assist it. However, the vessel operator grounded the boat near a Haitian village where the crew safely disembarked and received assistance.

The next evening, Confidence crew members noticed a fire aboard a pleasure craft and identified it as a signal of distress. They launched a small boat crew to investigate. Upon arrival, it was determined the pleasure craft crew was experiencing mechanical issues and was without fuel. The small boat crew provided assistance and fuel; however the crew of the pleasure craft soon encountered an additional issue hindering their mobility. The small boat crew towed the pleasure craft to a safe anchorage near a Haitian village.

The crew also conducted drills and training while underway to help familiarize themselves with proper responses to different shipboard emergencies and operations.

Coast Guard Cutter Confidence is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Port Canaveral. The Confidence’s primary missions include counterdrug, alien migrant interdiction, ports waterways and coastal security, protecting maritime resources, law enforcement and search and rescue operations. For more information on the Confidence, visit the following link: https://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/cgcConfidence/history.asp.  

 

-USCG-