CHARLESTON, S.C. – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton returned home Friday following a successful 120-day multi-mission patrol.
During the patrol, Hamilton’s crew boarded and seized 11 smuggling vessels, detained 35 suspected drug smugglers and stopped more than 20,000 pounds of illeglal narcotics from reaching the United States.
Hamilton’s crew also joined with allied Canadian partners, offloading approximately 26.5 tons of cocaine at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Thursday. The cocaine, seized in international waters off the Eastern Pacific Ocean since Oct. 1, has estimated wholesale value of more than $715 million, and represents 27 separate interdictions that were part of a larger operation, which involved the Royal Canadian Navy and six Coast Guard cutters, including Hamilton.
Hamilton began its deployment by participating in the 22nd International Sea Power Symposium in Newport, Rhode Island. There, the focus was on strengthening international maritime partnerships, enabling multinational operations through collaborative efforts and building trust among navies and coast guards from around the world. Hamilton then proceeded south into the Caribbean, rescuing 11 migrants from two make-shift and unseaworthy vessels before the crew finally made its way to the Eastern Pacific Ocean in support of Joint Interagency Task Force South.
“The cutter’s success is evidence of the crew’s determination and hard work over the past two-and-a-half years since delivery to the Coast Guard. Their drive, resiliency, stamina, discipline and passion for the Coast Guard’s missions are very clearly evident. I am thrilled to spend my last year at sea watching this incredible crew perform amazing operations,” said Capt. Scott Clendenin, commanding officer of Hamilton.
JIATF-S, a national task force under U.S. Southern Command, oversees the detection and monitoring of illicit traffickers and assists U.S. and multi-national law enforcement agencies with interdiction of these activities. These law enforcement operations are led and conducted by U.S. Coast Guard and agencies from allied and partner nations under the tactical control on the 11th Coast Guard District in Alameda, California.
The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton is one of two 418- foot national security cutters homeported in Charleston, South Carolina. It is equipped with a flight deck and hangars capable of housing two multi-mission helicopters, and is outfitted with the most advanced command, control and communication equipment.
For more information contact Lt. j.g. Brittany Zirulnick.