Coast Guard Cutter Thetis file photo by Chief Petty Officer Bill Mesta
KEY WEST, Fla. — The Coast Guard Cutter Thetis (WMEC-910) and crew returned to Key West, Thursday, after a 65-day Caribbean Sea patrol in support of Coast Guard 7th District.
The cutter Thetis worked with Coast Guard Cutters Spencer (WMEC-905), Resolute (WMEC-620), Raymond Evans (WPC-1110), Kathleen Moore (WPC-110), Richard Etheridge (WPC-1102), and Coast Guard Air Station Miami.
The cutter Thetis crew was part of an increased Coast Guard presence along the north coast of Haiti, Cuba, and Dominican Republic to prevent a surge of illegal immigration and human smuggling that could be fueled by COVID-19. Employing a Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew, the Thetis crew deterred vessels from attempting an illegal exodus.
The cutter Thetis crew responded to two search and rescue cases and acted as on-scene commander in the search for a man reported missing off the Motor Tanker Jialong Spirit over 200 miles north of Dominican Republic. The cutter Thetis crew also assisted in the successful evacuation of a crew member with a medical emergency off the Motor Tanker Maersk Batam over 100 miles southwest of Puerto Rico.
The cutter Thetis crew also conducted training with Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrews to qualify pilots for shipboard operations in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season and with U.S. Army MH-6 Little Bird helicopter aircrews from the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion in Jacksonville, Fla.
Named for the famous Greek mythology sea nymph and mother of Achilles, the Thetis is a 270-foot Famous-class cutter with a crew of 100 and is homeported in the Conch Republic.
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