ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.(D7 Public Affairs) – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Venturous, homeported in St. Petersburg, is scheduled to return home Friday, at 9 a.m., after a busy 30-day patrol in the Florida Straits.
Venturous patrolled the Florida Straits while working in close cooperation with the Royal Bahamian Defense Force in efforts to disrupt the flow of illegal alien migrant and narcotic smuggling into the United States. The crew also provided humanitarian care for 103 Cuban migrants interdicted by multiple Coast Guard assets. In addition, the Venturous crew detained and transfered eight migrant smugglers to law enforcement officials.
Venturous also conducted 22 boardings of U.S. flagged vessels to ensure each was in compliance with applicable federal laws and regulations. During their patrol, Venturous was augmented with an embarked four-man helicopter crew detached from Coast Guard Air Station Miami. Having the embarked helicopter crew improved the cutters long range detection capabilities.
Together, the crews safely completed more than 120 helicopter evolutions in support of Homeland Security Missions during the 30-day patrol.
“It was an extremely successful patrol and a perfect example of the multi-mission capacity that the Coast Guard is known for,” said Cmdr. Robert K. Thompson, commanding officer of Venturous. “Participating in counter migrant operations and then steaming at full speed to engage in counter drug operations often left the crew exhausted, yet with a true sense of accomplishment. The patrol never had a dull moment, and it was a true pleasure to work with professionals from home and abroad.”
Venturous is a 210-foot Reliance class cutter and has a crew complement of 77.
“The crew thoroughly enjoyed the fast paced operations but each member is glad to be home,” said Thompson.
