MIAMI — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore returned Monday to their homeport in Key West following a 19-day patrol.
During their past two patrols, the crew of the Kathleen Moore interdicted more than 1,170 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $18 million, detained four suspected smugglers in two separate ventures and were a part of a search and rescue case that resulted in two lives being saved from an overturned sailboat.
The crew patrolled the Caribbean Sea and Florida Straits where they focused on drug interdiction and the safety of life at sea for Cuban migrants attempting to enter the country. As one of the multiple platforms in Coast Guard District Seven's area of operation during the patrol, the crew interdicted six migrant vessels and cared for more than 140 migrants.
“We have an awesome crew — they battled rough seas, nights without sleep and overcame some minor engineering casualties to keep us out there on patrol,” said Lt. Steven Davies, cutter Kathleen Moore commanding officer. “They are very good operationally — they take great care of the ship and each other, and that's why we've been successful. Now that we're back home, I think we can all reflect back and be proud of what we accomplished while we catch up on some time off with family and friends.”
The cutter Kathleen Moore is a 154-foot Fast Response Cutter homeported in Key West and interdicted more than 700 undocumented migrants in the past year. The cutter’s primary missions include search and rescue and law enforcement in the Florida Straits.