ALAMEDA, Calif. – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche is scheduled to return to its homeport at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Calif., Saturday following a 161-day, 38,000 nautical-mile deployment in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, including visits to eight countries.
Since departing March 24th, Waesche completed a patrol in the 14th Coast Guard District in Hawaii, conducted operations with U.S. Naval Forces working with foreign navies and coast guards from five countries, and conducted a high-seas drift net patrol for the 17th Coast Guard District in Alaska.
“Waesche’s efforts in the Southeast Pacific aided in an increased military readiness of the U.S. Coast Guard and Naval Forces, and that of our regional partners in the Pacific Theater, and highlighted the unique capabilities of the National Security Cutter while conducting challenging exercises with U.S. and foreign naval forces,” said Capt. John McKinley, commanding officer, Coast Guard Cutter Waesche.
Waesche’s participation in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) operations provided a unique training opportunity for foreign navies whose missions align with U.S. Coast Guard operations including vessel boardings and inspections, migrant interdiction, search and rescue, drug interdiction, and maritime law enforcement. Waesche crewmembers provided comprehensive training to members of the Royal Thai navy, the Indonesian navy, the Malaysian naval and coast guard forces, the Philippine naval and coast guard forces and the Royal Singapore navy on maritime law enforcement and boarding procedures, basic damage control, basic shipboard medical procedures, flight deck operations and procedures, visual communications, procedures and methods for decoding signals, basic navigation methods and techniques, towing procedures and basic search and rescue execution and procedures.
While transiting to Southeast Asia, Waesche operated under the orders of the 14th Coast Guard District conducting 13 fisheries boardings and issuing fishery and safety violations to vessels violating the regulations set forth in the Central Pacific. Waesche boarding teams also worked with personnel from the Cook Islands and the Australian Border Patrol assisting in the enforcement of their countries’ maritime fisheries laws along their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). Upon departing Yokosuka, Japan and beginning the transit home, Waesche operated under the orders of the 17th Coast Guard District slowly patrolling and monitoring high-threat areas for high-seas drift net violators.
“The National Security Cutter’s robust capabilities ensured success across many of the Coast Guard’s primary mission areas from military readiness during the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises alongside the U.S. Navy and our regional partners in the Western Pacific, to the more traditional living marine resource missions in the Pacific Ocean,” said McKinley. “I’m continually impressed with this dynamic ship and her dedicated and professional crew.”
Homeported on Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Calif., Waesche is 418 feet long with a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, and a crew of 120. It is equipped with a 4,000 square-foot flight deck capable of housing two helicopters.
