Shipmates,
Back in January I had the opportunity to
send-off BOUTWELL on an
out-of-hemisphere (OOH) deployment and circumnavigation. Then, in April, while visiting the AFRICOM and CENTCOM AORs I got to
catch up with BOUTWELL in Djibouti and provided an
update on their patrol to that point. Now, I am proud to be able to welcome BOUTWELL home from a great patrol and share with you this summary of their adventure.
Note: Video and news coverage of their return available
here and
here.
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USCGC BOUTWELL OOH 2009 Deployment Summary by ENS Marcus Vinson
After months of maintenance, training and planning the crew of Coast Guard Cutter BOUTWELL anxiously maneuvered away from the pier at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, CA on January 12th, 2009 with all eyes trained on the horizon ahead. The first stop in BOUTWELL's epic journey around the globe: Pier 27 in San Francisco. The brief stop was necessary in order to procure lube oil required for the transit. The next morning BOUTWELL left San Francisco Bay prepared to take on the world; literally.
The initial transit west was described by some crewmembers as "uncomfortable," "rough," and at times "miserable." This was the first underway experience for many, and they had not yet acclimated to the confused equilibrium caused by fifteen foot seas. BOUTWELL escaped the unpleasant weather before long and pulled into Pearl Harbor, HI. Pearl Harbor was a logistics hub for receipt of personnel, fuel, supplies, and the last time BOUTWELL would be in U.S. territorial waters for over five months. BOUTWELL left Pearl Harbor on the 21st and continued west in company with other ships of the USS BOXER Expeditionary Strike Group. January 24th was an especially significant day for BOUTWELL; the day that never was. BOUTWELL crossed the International Dateline, as January 23rd became January 25th.
BOUTWELL pulled into Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia February 4th, in the first of many port visits in support of the Theatre Security Cooperation (TSC) mission. During the three-day visit, crewmembers participated in law enforcement and small boat training with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), soccer matches, and rebuilding a local park bridge. BOUTWELL left Malaysia on February 7th and arrived in Singapore on the 9th. The visit was a brief quality of life stop, allowing the crew to momentarily recharge after the over 7,000 nautical mile transit across the Pacific.
February 17th marked the day BOUTWELL arrived in Kochi (Cochin), India. The visit included several professional and social interactions with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), including receptions, a USCG missions colloquium, capping off with a PASSEX on the 20th involving several ICG aircraft, two ICG cutters, BOUTWELL and embarked Dolphin helicopter. The crew discovered many things about Indian culture, notably that yes, sacred cows do indeed freely roam the streets in India. At the conclusion of this exercise, BOUTWELL bid farewell to the Subcontinent and steamed southwest for the Maldives. The purpose for the stop was for a successful TSC engagement with the Maldivian National Defense Force, but many crewmembers managed to get some much needed R&R while anchored in paradise.
After leaving the crystal clear blue waters and gleaming white atolls of the Maldives on February 24th, BOUTWELL headed northwest and arrived at Karachi, Pakistan on March 5th. BOUTWELL participated in the international naval exercise AMAN 09, which included ships from eleven different nations and representatives from 38 different countries. While moored in Karachi, crewmembers attended receptions, luncheons and tours on board other ships, played friendly games of rugby, soccer and a uniquely British game called "rounders," and exchanged service specific gear, like T- shirts, flags and ball caps. While underway in the vicinity of Karachi, BOUTWELL participated with the other ships in various naval warfare exercises and precision formation steaming. BOUTWELL?s time in Pakistan was well spent and unique, since rarely do naval ships from so many different nations interact and cooperate with each other.
The next stop on BOUTWELL?s schedule was Bahrain. The transit from Pakistan to Bahrain was fairly uneventful, with the exception of the Strait of Hormuz. BOUTWELL transited the Straits in formation with USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN, and the Australian frigate HMAS WARRAMUNGA. During the transit several small, fast Iranian-flagged patrol craft approached the formation, which frazzled some nerves but was otherwise concluded without incident.
Bahrain was an integral logistics hub for BOUTWELL during the Fifth Fleet phase of the deployment. While in Bahrain, BOUTWELL received supplies, personnel, and fuel. BOUTWELL pulled in on the 19th of March, and departed on the 23rd, ready to complete the missions the ship was sent to the Middle East to do. BOUTWELL was tasked with patrolling the "hash highway" off the coast of Iran and Pakistan in the Arabian Sea in search of narcotics smugglers whose profits have known ties to terrorist funding. On March 27th, BOUTWELL intercepted a skiff in the Gulf of Oman with 22 Iranian men on board who had run out of fuel and been adrift without food or water for three days. BOUTWELL provided medical attention to four severely dehydrated personnel, in addition to medical supplies, food, water, gasoline, and oil. The skiff was able to continue their voyage on their own, and BOUTWELL later received word of an official message of gratitude from the Government of Iran to the Omani Coast Guard citing "Coalition Warship 719" for her humanitarian efforts to render aid to the Iranian mariners in need. BOUTWELL's time on the "hash highway" was cut short as casualties to her turbines forced her to return to Bahrain. BOUTWELL spent the 7th through the 18th of April in Bahrain replacing a Main Gas Turbine, and left on the 19th for a one-day transit to Muscat, Oman. The stop in Oman was only for a few hours for fuel, but crew members still managed to spend some time touring the beautiful desert capital of Muscat.
From Oman, BOUTWELL continued southwest into the Gulf of Aden and pulled into Djibouti, Djibouti on the 24th. This marked arrival on the third continent of the deployment. Even though this was another visit of less than 24 hours in port before leaving, liberty was granted and the crew had the opportunity to relax for a few hours and place phone calls to loved ones. Prior to getting underway on the 25th, BOUTWELL was honored to receive the Commandant and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard during a short stop on their own whirlwind tour of the Middle East.
BOUTWELL left Djibouti tasked with patrolling for both drug smugglers and pirates. On April 28th, BOUTWELL received a call from a merchant vessel in distress, stating they were under pirate attack. BOUTWELL's HH-65C was already airborne, and quickly diverted to respond. When the Dolphin arrived on scene with the merchant vessel, the attackers broke off and fled toward Somali territorial waters. The helo and a French Maritime Patrol Aircraft assisted in vectoring BOUTWELL on scene to intercept the fleeing skiff. BOUTWELL dispatched two pursuit boats and boarding teams over to the skiff to apprehend and question seven suspected pirates.
At the conclusion of BOUTWELL's scheduled time in the Gulf of Aden, the ship continued west and entered the Red Sea for the final phase of Fifth Fleet operations. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was the next stop. BOUTWELL spent just over 24 hours in Jeddah, arriving on the 13th of May. During the stay, BOUTWELL participated in TSC with the Saudi Royal Naval Forces, sharing maritime law enforcement and shipboard damage control tactics. Once underway from Saudi Arabia, BOUTWELL traveled north, arriving in Aqaba, Jordan on May 16th. While in Jordan, BOUTWELL interacted with Royal Jordanian Navy personnel on law enforcement tactics, and the Jordanians proved to be exceptionally gracious social hosts. Many crewmembers were afforded the opportunity to travel to Petra and take a guided tour of the Lost City; the liberty highlight of the deployment for many.
After departing Jordan on the 18th, BOUTWELL transited the 100-mile Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea, where sand quickly gave way to beautiful tree-covered islands and noticeably cooler water. The first stop in the Mediterranean was Greece. BOUTWELL moored in Souda Bay, where she topped off on fuel before anchoring in Santorini, Greece for five days. Santorini was the first dedicated quality of life port call for BOUTWELL since the first stop in Bahrain in mid-March, and the crew enjoyed Santorini to the fullest - decompressing after a long, arduous, yet rewarding two months in the U.S. CENTCOM theatre.
From Santorini, BOUTWELL traveled to Tobruk, Libya, arriving May 31st. BOUTWELL was the first U.S. military vessel to visit Libya in over forty years, and was well received during her stay. BOUTWELL participated in Search & Rescue and shipboard damage control TSC exchanges with members of the Libyan Navy, attended tours of historical monuments, and held a reception on board the cutter for several Libyan dignitaries, military officers, and the recently-instated U.S. ambassador to Libya. Crewmembers also competed in friendly games of soccer and basketball. BOUTWELL lost the soccer game 10-1, but achieved redemption by dominating in the basketball game 49-27.
After departing Africa for the second and final time, BOUTWELL transited under the shadow of a smoking Mount Etna and through the stiff currents of the Strait of Messina to the port city of Rome: Civitavecchia, Italy. Italy was a unanimous liberty success among the crew, who soaked up culture and historical sights in Florence, Rome, and Naples. After departing Civitavecchia, Gibraltar was the last opportunity for BOUTWELL to refuel and restock supplies before bidding Europe "ciao" and crossing the Atlantic Ocean. On the last morning before sailing out of Gibraltar, a group of crewmembers got up in the early dark to run [or walk!] the 2.7 miles up the Rock of Gibraltar, to watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean. The view from atop was breath-taking; if only anyone had a breath left to give after running 2.7 miles straight up. BOUTWELL departed Gibraltar June 14th, with 3,800 miles of ocean and nine days between them and their next port visit.
The transit across the Atlantic Ocean was fairly calm, and most of the time was spent conducting drills and training that could not fit into the schedule during time in theatre due to the high operational tempo. BOUTWELL arrived in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles for a few days of logistics and Caribbean relaxation.
After leaving Curacao, the crew prepared for the Panama Canal and returning to the Pacific Ocean for the first time in nearly five months. The crew performed superbly during the Panama Canal transit, and at the Miraflores locks crossed paths with CGC NORTHLAND which was making their way back to the Atlantic Ocean from an Eastern Pacific Counter Drug patrol. BOUTWELL returned to the waters of the Pacific Ocean on the evening of June 27th, and steamed south for a quick dip below the Equator before heading north toward home.
The last port call of the patrol occurred in San Pedro, California, where BOUTWELL stopped for around eight hours to receive fuel, mail, media and family members for a "Tiger Cruise." The family members stayed onboard overnight as BOUTWELL made one last push north. RADM Sullivan was received onboard via Coast Guard helicopter on the evening of July 7th to join BOUTWELL for the homecoming transit into San Francisco Bay. BOUTWELL arrived at ISC Alameda on the morning of July 8th, reuniting with a massive crowd of family and friends, 178 days after setting off on their historic journey.
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You can voice your congratulations to the crew and family of USCGC BOUTWELL here or on their
fanpage. We will also update this post with coverage and photos of their homecoming. Photos of their deployment are available
here, search "Boutwell".
ADM A
