(CLICK ON IMAGE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION VERSION)
The Coast Guard Cutter Bear transits past the Statue of Liberty in New York City June 19, 2016. The Bear is a 270-feet medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Turner Adair
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of the Portsmouth-based Coast Guard Cutter Bear returned home Thursday following a one-month long fisheries patrol off the coast of New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia.
While on patrol, Cutter Bear conducted more than 40 fisheries and safety inspections. In the process of conducting these operations, Bear's crew cited fishing vessels for numerous living marine resources violations and safety violations, helping guarantee the sustainment of the seafood stock for future generations and ensuring the safety of life at sea.
This patrol followed a four-month, dry-dock period which refurbished Cutter Bear’s machinery equipment and hull to extend the service life of the ship for an additional 10 years.
Bear was commissioned on Feb. 4, 1983, and is the first of 13 "Famous Class" 270-foot medium endurance cutters. During any given patrol, Bear conducts a wide-spectrum of missions such as search and rescue, migrant interdiction operations, counter-drug patrols, fisheries enforcement, and international engagement - illustrating the versatile, multi-mission character of the Coast Guard and the cutter fleet.
For more on the Coast Guard Cutter Bear visit http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/cgcBear/default.asp