Archive image: A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin aircrew from the HITRON (Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron), based in Sector Jacksonville, conducts a training exercise with the tactical boat Midnight Express over the St. John’s River in Jacksonville, Florida, November 3, 2020.
During the exercise, after the pilots get the helicopter in to position, the gunner aboard the helicopter will simulate shooting out the engines of the boat.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie Emery.
ALAMEDA, California. — USCGC Waesche and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from HITRON returned home following an 89-day anti-drug patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Saturday, December 9, 2023.
The 418-foot national security cutter and its crew patrolled more than 19,750 nautical miles conducting law enforcement and search and rescue operations in international waters off Central and South America.
USCGC Waesche deployed with a Sector Jacksonville, Florida, based Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and aircrew, members from Law Enforcement Detachment Team (LEDET) 101 and 102, and contractors who flew Scan Eagle, an advanced unmanned aircraft system. While conducting flight operations with Air Station San Diego off the coast of San Diego, Waesche’s crew received notification from of a mariner 300 nautical miles west of San Diego aboard a disabled sailing vessel with no food in 8-10 foot seas. Waesche diverted from its position to the disabled sailing vessel and launched its Over-The-Horizon (OTH) small boatcrew to rescue the survivor and bring him aboard.
The Coast Guard Cutter Waesche participated in San Francisco Fleet Week 2023, hosting several days of public tours and representing the service during the Parade of Ships event, which involved formation maneuvering with U.S. Navy vessels and rendering honors to the Secretary of the Navy in a pass-in-review.
In November 2023, Waesche crewmembers seized approximately 18,219 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of over $239 million, during four separate suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions or events off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Hunter Schnabel.
After departing San Francisco, Waesche began its counter-narcotics patrol in the Eastern Pacific, and interdicted five smuggling vessels operating in international waters, deploying the cutter’s Over-the-Horizon (OTH) small boats with boarding teams, the Scan Eagle drone, and a HITRON helicopter with a precision gunner. Waesche’s last interdiction was a self-propelled semi-submersible, resulting in the seizure of 2,510 kgs of cocaine. Waesche’s crew offloaded more than 18,000 pounds of cocaine in San Diego, Wednesday, which included two seizures of drug-smuggling vessels made by U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active’s crew.
Waesche is the second Legend-class cutter of the U.S. Coast Guard and is homeported at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, CA. Waesche is 418-feet long with a top speed of 28 knots and a range of 12,000 nautical miles. It is equipped with a flight deck and hangars capable of housing two multi-mission helicopters and is outfitted with the most advanced command, control, and communications equipment.
–USCG–
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