U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Reliance (WMEC 615) returned to their home port in Pensacola, Monday, following a 60-day patrol in the Florida Straits and throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
During the patrol, Reliance enforced fishery laws to ensure the safety of commercial fishing vessels and marine resources in the Coast Guard’s Eighth District.
On Sept. 29, 2023, Reliance partnered with the crew of the Mexican Navy vessel ARM Uxmal near Cozumel, Mexico, for a joint training exercise under the North American Maritime Security Initiative. NAMSI, launched in 2008, aims to enhance maritime operations and training collaboration among U.S., Mexican, and Canadian forces. The exercise included maneuver and communication drills, ending with two Uxmal crewmembers touring the Reliance.
Additionally, Reliance trained with aircraft crews from Coast Guard Air Stations Corpus Christi and Houston and offered over 400 public ship tours in Galveston, Texas, near where the Reliance was constructed six decades ago.
“This crew demonstrated professional expertise, versatility, and technical skill beyond expectations during this patrol,” said Cmdr. Brian Chapman, Reliance’s commanding officer. “They have trained hard, performed superbly, and are truly ‘Semper Paratus—Always Ready’ for the next mission. I could not be prouder of this team of professionals.”
Reliance is a 210-foot, medium endurance cutter homeported in Pensacola with a crew of 73. The cutter’s primary missions are counterdrug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcement of federal fishery laws, and search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.