PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Northland returned to Portsmouth on Wednesday after completing a 47-day patrol in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Northland routinely deploys in support of counter-drug, migrant interdiction, fisheries, and search and rescue missions.
The cutter deployed in August and offered pre-storm information and assistance to locals off the coast of Haiti ahead of Tropical Storm Laura.
The Coast Guard said that before Laura's arrival off the island of Hispaniola, Northland crewmembers located a disoriented fisherman who had drifted approximately 17 miles offshore. The crew provided him with food and water as the ship escorted him back to land well ahead of the storm’s passage.
“Before this mission, I did not know anything about the Coast Guard,” said Rishi Jolivian, a civilian Haitian-Creole interpreter who was aboard the Northland for the majority of its patrol. “But, now I have so much gratitude and appreciation for what the Coast Guard does. I have tremendous respect for the Northland and it’s truly an awesome place to be.”
With the Northland back at its homeport in Portsmouth, the crew will conduct critical maintenance and repairs to extend the ship’s service life and will undergo a rigorous training assessment to ensure emergency readiness for future deployments.
