Coast Guard Cutter Dependable returns home after Northeast and Mid-Atlantic patrol

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic Contact: 5th District Public Affairs Office: (757) 398-6272 After Hours: (757) 295-8435 5th District online newsroom

Coast Guard Cutter Dependable returns home after Northeast and Mid-Atlantic patrol 

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Dependable returned to Virginia Beach on Friday following a 50-day patrol ranging the eastern seaboard from Eastport, Maine to Charleston, South Carolina. 

Throughout the patrol, the crew of the Dependable conducted more than 30 fishing vessel boardings in both the First and Fifth Coast Guard Districts. They issued 28 safety violations and two significant fisheries violations. Crewmembers conducted over 50 small boat operations. The Dependable served as a primary offshore search and rescue response cutter, responding to two vessels in distress during the patrol. During the final days of the deployment, the crew participated in valuable Joint training with U.S. Navy special forces in a two-day tactical exercise in the Hampton Roads region.

The crew of the Dependable supported the Coast Guard’s Living Marine Resource Enforcement mission, inspecting federally managed fishing vessels’ catch, gear, and lifesaving equipment to ensure compliance with federal laws and regulations. Living Marine Resource Enforcement patrols are vital to the continued sustainability and safety of the multi-billion dollar U.S. seafood industry, as well as safeguarding marine protected species such as the Northern Right Whale. 
  
The Virginia Beach-based 210-foot Reliance Class Medium Endurance Cutter contains a permanent crew of 75. The crew of the Dependable routinely conducts homeland security missions in the offshore waters of the Western Hemisphere, from New England to the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific.  

Having surpassed its 50th year of service to America in November 2018, the Dependable and the other 26 aging medium endurance cutters are slated for replacement by new Offshore Patrol Cutters in the near future.

More on Cutter Dependable is available at http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/cgcDependable/

For media interviews, contact ENS Lydia Kline at Lydia.M.Kline@uscg.mil or 757-462-7770

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