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July 8, 2010

By Meredith Kruse
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 8, 2010

PORTSMOUTH

The Coast Guard cutter Bear is due home Thursday morning from the Caribbean, the service announced.

Crew/unit size About 100 Coast Guardsmen

Leader Cmdr. William J. Lane

Location of deployment Caribbean Sea

Deployed May 14

Returning July 8

Highlights On its way to the Caribbean, the crew of the Bear was called to help in a search off the coast of Mayport, Fla., for an overdue vessel with three people aboard, one of whom was an active duty sailor. The three were eventually rescued by a good Samaritan after being found adrift near Brunswick, Ga.; their vessel had capsized in heavy weather.

The 270-foot medium endurance cutter, homeported in Portsmouth, went on to patrol the western and southern Caribbean Sea for drug smugglers. The crew detained three vessels and 10 suspected smugglers. One stop yielded more than $100,000 in suspected drug trade money; another led to the seizure of 70 kilograms of cocaine.