MIAMI — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Ocracoke repatriated 23 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, Nov. 13.
District Seven command center in Miami received notification of a rustic vessel with 23 Cuban migrants aboard southwest of Key West, Fla., Nov. 5. The Coast Guard Cutter Key Biscayne arrived on scene and embarked 23 Cuban migrants. The 23 migrants were later transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Ocracoke for repatriation.
Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.
“U.S. Coast Guard policy is to deter and respond to dangerous, and illegal maritime migration by intercepting vessels pursuing perilous and illegal voyages," said Capt. Brendan McPherson, Seventh Coast Guard District chief of enforcement. "We continue to maintain a robust presence of cutters and aircraft throughout the Caribbean to prevent illegal migration and migrant smuggling activities.”
Patrol boats like the Key Biscayne and Ocracoke are the workhorses of America's littoral maritime fleet. Possessing superior speed and flexibility, Coast Guard patrol boats deliver the Coast Guard's unique blend of military capability, law enforcement authority and lifesaving expertise wherever needed along the coast.
The cutter Key Biscayne is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Key West, Fla.
The cutter Ocracoke is a 110- foot patrol boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Key Biscayne and other Island-class patrol boats are being replaced by 58 new, Sentinel-class fast response cutters. The FRC will be capable of speeds in excess of 28 knots and operating in seas up to 18-feet. The speed and stability of the FRC deliver tremendous lifesaving, law enforcement and homeland security capabilities in the same package.
