PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard Cutter Forward returned home Thursday after a massively successful counter-narcotics patrol.
The crew patrolled the Eastern Pacific Ocean and seized over 14,000 pounds of cocaine.
The Forward, along with five other cutters, collectively seized 34,780 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $466 million.
"Most of those drugs are destined for the streets of the United States, and by interdicting these drugs, I believe we saved lives," said CDR Mike Sharp, the ship's commanding officer.
The ship and crew returned to Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, after an 82-day deployment.
In addition to the Forward crew's counter-drug exploits during the patrol, it also saved three Ecuadorian fishermen during a Search and Rescue mission 190 nautical miles south of the Galapagos Islands.
The missions took place during the 35-day shutdown when the Forward crew was among the 42,000 Coast Guard members who weren't getting paid.
Forward leaders say that had no impact on morale or performance. They had a job to do.
"There was stress but we managed it and we continued to do what we were asked to do," said Sharp.
Chief Joe Hoff agreed. "The success of what we were doing out there I think outweighed the natural inclination to be worried about what was going to happen next," he said.
They received high praise Thursday in Washington for meeting with great success in the face of such adversity.
"They did that deployment, the large -part, without pay and without adequate parts," said Navy ADM Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "They had remarkable resiliency and remarkable attitude. And we're thankful the shutdown is over."
However, the next shutdown could be just eight days away.
