Coast Guard Cutter Tampa returns home following successful 56-day Caribbean Sea patrol

Photo By Chief Warrant Officer Melissa Leake | USCGC Tampa (WMEC 902) patrols the South Florida Straits, south of the Florida Keys, July 7, 2022. During their patrol, Tampa’s crew collaborated with 12 other Coast Guard cutters, numerous Coast Guard aircraft, and other Department of Homeland Security boats and aircraft to detect, deter, and intercept unsafe and illegal ventures to the United States. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Eli Maurer)  

UNITED STATES

09.09.2022

Story by Senior Chief Petty Officer Melissa Leake 

U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of the USCGC Tampa (WMEC 902) returned to their homeport in Portsmouth, Aug. 24, 2022, after a 56-day Caribbean Sea patrol. 

During the patrol, Tampa’s crew collaborated with 12 other Coast Guard cutters, numerous Coast Guard aircraft, and other Department of Homeland Security boats and aircraft to detect, deter, and intercept unsafe and illegal ventures to the United States. 

Tampa’s crew primarily patrolled the South Florida Straits, south of the Florida Keys, and the Windward Pass, off the northwest coast of Haiti, contributing to the interdiction, care, and repatriation of 612 migrants from Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

“Showcasing professionalism, teamwork, and empathy, our crew once again selflessly performed our assigned missions,” said Cmdr. Sky Holm, Tampa’s commanding officer. “I am continually impressed by their dedication and devotion to duty and I am humbled to be serving alongside them. We acknowledge the tremendous collaboration from team Coast Guard and our international and interagency partners, who seamlessly integrate to meet collective objectives. Of course, our crew sincerely appreciates the extraordinary assistance from our mission support units shore side, who keep our cutter operational, as well as the compassionate support from our loved ones ashore, who provide us strength while we are away.”

Tampa is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth with 100 crewmembers. The cutter’s primary missions are counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcing federal fishery laws, as well as search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.

For information on how to join the U.S. Coast Guard, visit www.GoCoastGuard.com to learn more about active duty and reserve officer and enlisted opportunities. Information on how to apply the U.S. Coast Guard Academy can be found at www.uscga.edu.

• Date Taken: 09.09.2022
• Date Posted: 09.09.2022 10:57
• Story ID: 428901
• Location: US