WILMINGTON, N.C. — The crew aboard the Wilmington-based Coast Guard Cutter Diligence is scheduled to return to homeport on Tuesday following a 49-day patrol in the North Atlantic Ocean in support of Operation Atlantic Venture.
The combined efforts of Diligence and the other Coast Guard assets involved in the operation resulted in nearly 75 vessel inspections that identified numerous violations of federal safety and fisheries regulations.
“This was definitely a challenging patrol, not only were we away from our families for Christmas, but the New England weather definitely kept us on our toes,” said Commander Jeff Randall, Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence. “However, the crew did a phenomenal job executing our assigned missions under the very tough conditions.”
Wilmington-based Diligence is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter with a complement crew of approximately 70. Diligence was assigned to Operation Atlantic Venture to support Coast Guard missions off New England.
The 49-year-old Diligence, along with the service’s other legacy medium endurance cutters, is slated to be replaced by a new fleet of Offshore Patrol Cutters that will have the endurance to operate more than 50 miles offshore to carry out the Coast Guard’s maritime security and safety missions.
The OPC will be an economical, multi-mission ship, providing pursuit boat and helicopter capabilities and interagency interoperability. Its advanced technical features include modern sensors and enhanced surveillance capabilities necessary to detect threats far from U.S. shores and meet the demands of the Coast Guard’s homeland security, search and rescue, law enforcement and other vital missions.
