MULTIMEDIA RELEASE: St. Petersburg Coast Guard cutter returns home after 59 days

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 09/09/2018 02:29 PM EDT

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U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Tampa Bay
Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Tampa Bay
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St. Petersburg Coast Guard cutter returns home after 59 days

St. Petersburg Coast Guard cutter returns home after 59 days
Children of Coast Guard Cutter Resolute crew members watch the cutter return home to St. Petersburg, Florida, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. The Resolute crew returned after 59 days conducting law enforcement, and search and rescue operations in the Caribbean. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ashley J. Johnson.) Chief Petty Officer Nathan Finley, a crew member aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute, kisses his daughter Skylar Finley, for the first time in 59 days in St. Petersburg, Florida, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. The Resolute crew returned to homeport after patrolling in the Caribbean for almost two months. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ashley J. Johnson.) The Finley family awaits the arrival of Chief Petty Officer Nathan Finley, a crew member aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute, in St Petersburg, Florida, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. The Resolute crew returned to homeport after a 59-day patrol in the Caribbean. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ashley J. Johnson.)

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute returned home Sunday to St. Petersburg following a 59-day patrol.

Resolute crew members patrolled more than 11,000 miles, providing a law enforcement presence in the Windward Passage and deterring illegal migrant departures as a part of Operation Southeast Watch.

In the Mona Passage, Resolute supported Operation Unified Resolve conducting counter drug operations and assisting in the search and rescue operations. Resolute also worked alongside Coast Guard Cutters Mohawk, Hamilton, and Reliance to ensure proper custody and care of suspected drug smugglers and contraband while awaiting transfer ashore for potential prosecution in the U.S.

A large portion of the patrol focused on training new crewmembers. Resolute trained in small boat pursuit tactics, law enforcement operations, damage control, medical response, ship handling, navigation, and other watch station skills to prepare the crew for various shipboard evolutions and emergency responses.

At the start of the patrol, Resolute completed an aviation standardization inspection during which inspectors verified that all equipment, logs, and training complied with Coast Guard regulations and best practices throughout the fleet. Resolute crew members conducted more than 300 helicopter evolutions including shipboard landing, vertical replenishment, and in-flight refueling resulting in the qualification of 15 pilots and 11 shipboard personnel.

Resolute is a 210-foot Reliance class cutter, homeported in St. Petersburg and has a crew of 78.

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