PENSACOLA, USA – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence (WMEC 616) returned to their home port in Pensacola, Wednesday, following a 41-day homeland security and counter-drug patrol in the Florida Straits and Windward Passage.
Diligence’s crew deployed in support of Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast (HSTF-SE) and Operation Vigilant Sentry (OVS) while underway in the Seventh Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility, where crew members conducted maritime safety and security missions.
Crew members worked to detect, deter and intercept unsafe and illegal maritime migration ventures bound for the United States. While on patrol, Diligence’s crew interdicted an adrift 40-foot vessel with one Dominican and 182 Haitian migrants aboard approximately 50 nautical miles north of Haiti. Crew members provided care to the migrants before repatriating all 182 migrants to Haiti and transferring one Dominican migrant to the Domincan Republic Navy.
During patrol, Diligence’s crew worked to ensure the disposition of $54 million in illegal narcotics and transfer of 11 suspected drug-smugglers to US authorities after three separate law enforcement cases. Diligence conducted these missions alongside interagency and international partners including the Coast Guard Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team, US Customs and Border Protection – Air and Marine Operations, and the crew of Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent (P224).
In addition, Diligence’s crew assisted a disabled fishing vessel during Hurricane Debby off the coast of St Petersburg and coordinated rescue efforts to ensure that the vessel and its crew reached safety.
“Diligence turned 60 years old this patrol, and through the crew’s dedication and professionalism, the ship continues going strong and providing an excellent return on investment for the American people,” said Cmdr. Nolan Cain, commanding officer of Diligence. “We remain dedicated to working with our interagency and regional partners to deter irregular maritime migration and disrupt the flow of narcotics bound for the United States.”
The Coast Guard, along with its HSTF-SE partners, maintains a continual presence with air, land, and sea assets in the Florida Straits, the Windward Passage, the Mona Passage, and the Caribbean Sea in support of OVS. The HSTF-SE combined, multi-layered approach is designed to protect the safety of life at sea while preventing unlawful maritime entry to the United States and its territories.
Diligence is a 210-foot, Reliance-class medium endurance cutter. Its primary missions include counter-drug and migrant interdiction operations, enforcement of federal fishery laws, and search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.
To read more about Diligence’s $54 million drug offload in Fort Lauderdale, click here.
