Portsmouth-based cutter returns home after 45-day counter-drug patrol

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn | The Coast Guard Cutter Forward returns to homeport in Portsmouth, Va., Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, after a 45-day patrol in the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Martillo. The law enforcement crews aboard the Forward teamed with crew members from the Coast Guard Cutter Confidence and an embarked aviation detachment from Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron to counter two illicit tracking interdictions leading to the seizure of more than $50 million in narcotics. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn)  

PORTSMOUTH, VA, UNITED STATES

01.07.2013

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn 

U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Forward returned home today after a 45-day patrol in the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Martillo.

The law enforcement crews aboard the Forward teamed with crew members from the Coast Guard Cutter Confidence and an embarked aviation detachment from Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadrom to counter two illicit tracking interdictions leading to the seizure of more than $50 million in narcotics.

"The ship-helicopter team is a winning combination that enables us to make important contributions to regional and homeland security," said Cmdr. Greg Wisener, the Forward's commanding officer. "Interdiction at sea is a highly-efficient and cost-effective way to counter transnational criminal organizations."

Operation Martillo is a U.S., European and Western Hemisphere partner nation effort launched in January 2012, targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus. Operation Martillo directly supports a key objective of Central America Regional Security Initiative - the disruption of illicit drug trafficking and the dismantlement of transnational criminal networks in Central America.

The Forward is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth with a crew of approximately 110 members.

• Date Taken: 01.07.2013
• Date Posted: 01.08.2013 07:24
• Story ID: 100072
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VA, US