PORTSMOUTH, Va. — As military deployments go, the one that ended Tuesday in Portsmouth wasn't all that long: just 67 days. But for the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, these last eight weeks have been very meaningful.
They saved lives, more than 100 of them during their deployment in the Florida Straits and Windward Pass.
The 39-year-old, 270-foot-long medium endurance cutter has five primary missions: maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, homeland security, national defense and international engagement.
This patrol focused on search and rescue.
"Well, we did the job. We went down to the Florida Straits. Our focus was safety and life at sea. And the crew did it and did it fantastically," said Commander Walter Krolman, commanding officer of the Tampa. "I couldn't be more proud of this ship and this crew and what we did down there, just essentially saving lives."
"The days get busy; they get long and it's a lot of hours worked. Credit to everyone aboard Tampa. There [were] a lot of long days. But that overall feeling just knowing you helped somebody out in the water that was in distress. it trumps all else," said Ensign Robert Fuget.
Seaman Isaac Moyer said: "It's pretty great. It's really cool to see a lot of the people that come on board are very happy to see us. They're thankful that we're there. And it's really cool to be a part of those evolutions. Because not a lot of people get a chance to do things like this out on the water."
The Tampa, once again living up to its motto: "Thy way is the sea, thy path in the great waters."
And this is a true case of no rest for the weary.
Back on April 26, Tampa returned from an 88-day patrol in the Florida straits and Caribbean Sea.
That patrol resulted in the repatriation of more than 400 migrants.