Cutter Returns from Caribbean Patrol

The 270-ft. Coast Guard Cutter Legare, home ported in Portsmouth, returned Sunday from a 37-day Caribbean patrol where crewmembers conducted counter narcotic operations, alien interdiction, and participated in naval exercises. The primary mission of of the Legare's crew was to patrol drug smuggling transit routes between the United States and South America. While in the Caribbean Sea, the Legare conducted helicopter airborne use-of-force training which enabled the crew to conduct numerous helicopter patrols resulting in the identification of potential drug smuggling vessels. In addition, the Legare interdicted 15 Cuban migrants off the Coast of Cuba stranded at sea for 10 days without food and water. The crew voluntarily participated in a community service project that repaired and repainted a schoolhouse that houses 52 children while moored in Cartegena, Colombia.