PORT ANGELES, Wash. – The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Active returned to their homeport Feb. 13 in Port Angeles following a seven-week counterdrug and fisheries law enforcement patrol.
The Active crewmembers supported Joint Interagency Task Force South, a component of U.S. Southern Command, operating in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The crew also supported Coast Guard Districts 11 and 13 operating off the west coast of the United States during the patrol.
During the patrol, Active crewmembers conducted an at sea fueling evolution providing the Coast Guard Cutter Edisto additional fuel, allowing the Edisto to remain in theater for continuous mission support during their counterdrug patrol. Active crewmembers conducted a second fueling at sea evolution to train crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Gerczak, as the Gerczak made their maiden voyage to their new homeport in Honolulu.
The Active crew conducted biennial Tailored Shipboard Training Availability over the course of three weeks during the patrol. TSTA is a comprehensive training period designed to develop the crew’s ability to respond to a wide array of shipboard emergencies. The program demonstrates the crewmember’s proficiency in evolutions, which are essential to the safe operation of the ship and measure the crew’s ability to sustain training and readiness levels through the use of integrated drills. Active earned the excellence rating in all areas, including engineering, weapons, damage control/medical and seamanship.
Active crewmembers conducted 164 helicopter evolutions during a three day period during the partol, working with Air Stations Port Angeles, North Bend, San Francisco and Kodiak to increase the operational proficiency for pilots and Active’s crew.
Several Active crewmembers volunteered at a youth home which cares for displaced children, during a port call in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The crew assisted in repairing equipment, power-washing the courtyard, stuccoing a wall, clearing out a yard and painting the facility.
Active’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Chris German was proud of his crew and their successful operations during the deployment.
“Another exceptional patrol by the dedicated group of professionals who are the crew of Active,” German said. “We successfully completed a counternarcotic deployment and an intensive training period and are glad to be back home as we prepare for our next mission.”
The Active is a 210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter commissioned in 1966 and is staffed by an 80-member crew. The Active’s primary missions include law enforcement, search and rescue, environmental protection and fisheries enforcement.