Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma returns to homeport from the Caribbean

by U.S. Coast Guard 1st District Northeast on 12 Sep 2017 Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma and her crew of 100 returns Sunday to their moorings at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine after a 62-day patrol conducting counter drug operations in the Caribbean Sea. Tahoma visited Mayport, FL; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Carrying an armed Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) MH-65 aircraft on board, Tahoma aggressively patrolled the Caribbean Sea conducting law enforcement operations, including interdiction and boarding of several vessels suspected of smuggling. Working with U.S. and international partner agency assets in the area, Tahoma successfully interdicted over 1,800 kilograms of cocaine.

The Coast Guard has significantly increased their presence in transit zones in the Western Hemisphere due to historic highs in the flow of illegal drugs to the southwest border of the United States. For this reason, Tahoma was deployed from its homeport in Kittery, Maine down to the Caribbean. In total, the 270-foot medium endurance cutter and her 100 member crew sailed more than 11,000 nautical miles in support of the Coast Guard’s Western Hemisphere Strategy and Joint Interagency Task Force South initiative against illicit trafficking.

Tahoma also celebrated a birthday during this patrol, as the ship eclipsed 30 years of service to this nation. The replacement ship for this class of cutter is just being designed, and Tahoma will likely be sailing for at least another ten to fifteen years. “I continue to be impressed by the professionalism, dedication and determination of our Coast Guard men and women. Our crew never lost their focus and due to their hard work they helped keep more than 1,800 kilograms of cocaine from reaching our streets and neighborhoods in the United States,” said Cmdr. Tim Brown, USCG, Commanding Officer USCGC Tahoma.

Tahoma is a 270-foot ship based out of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, NH. The vessel and her crew execute maritime law enforcement, homeland security, and search and rescue missions in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.