The Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane returned to its homeport of Portsmouth, Virginia, on April 26 following a 71-day patrol of the Central Caribbean.
The cutter’s multi-mission patrol resulted in the interdiction of 1,306 pounds of marijuana, with a street value of over $2.3 million. Harriet Lane conducted its patrol in support of the Coast Guard’s Seventh District and the United States Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force South.
The Harriet Lane commenced their patrol with flight operations off the coast of Miami, Florida for a biannual aviation assessment. Working closely with a helicopter from Air Station Miami, the Harriet Lane completed a series of day and night flight operations, including vertical replenishment, in-flight refueling, and landing evolutions, ensuring the mission capability of the crew as the ship began patrol.
Soon after, Harriet Lane joined forces with the Honduran Navy Special Forces to conduct a joint law enforcement patrol off the coast of Honduras. This engagement provided the opportunity for law enforcement subject matter expert exchanges and improved interoperability between the two nations for future counter-narcotic operations.
The Harriet Lane continued into to the Central Caribbean to combat the smuggling of illegal narcotics across the region. During their time in theatre, the ship’s crew successfully worked with a maritime patrol aircraft to interdict a go-fast style vessel off the coast of Jamaica. The Harriet Lane arrived on scene, with the crew seizing 1,306 pounds of marijuana from the vessel and its jettison field, and detaining 4 suspected drug traffickers.
The crew of the Harriet Lane looks forward to returning home to reunite with family and friends as well as readying the ship for upcoming training availabilities and its next patrol.
