DVIDS – News – U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Rapid Response Cutter Receives Top Unit Award

SANTA RITA, Guam – The crew of USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) received the ship’s first unit award Sept. 30, highlighting the value of the new rig to the region.

The Coast Guard Unit Commendation, presented for meritorious service from January 2020 to April 2022, recognizes the first FRC to arrive in Guam, overcoming the challenges associated with the 10,500 nautical mile transit from Key West made more complex by the COVID-19 pandemic and the initial success of the Crew Patrol.

“My thanks to those who were here for all they did to prepare the ship, to bring the ship here and to establish this first FRC presence in the region,” said Captain Nick Simmons, commander of the forces of the US Coast Guard in Micronesia. “Things in this price are still relevant. We are still traveling 3,000 miles one way to accomplish the mission. The original Pacific area memo on employment of FRCs in the region indicates that FRCs will operate normally within 200 nautical miles from shore. Our ships only operate within 200 nautical miles of land when we travel to where we will be operating. Almost everything is outside of this range. These crews are pushing the limits of this platform in this region for a very rewarding and valuable work. This award is an exclamation mark on all that you have accomplished as a crew and that we will accomplish together in the future.”

The first patrol illustrates the value of this new platform to the region, overcoming the COVID environment to conduct the first Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission boarding during this time. The crew then carried out a major boarding off Nauru, discovering an illegal shark finning operation, more than 3,000 nautical miles from Guam.

In another notable first, the crew exercised a bilateral agreement with partners in the Republic of Palau to provide first-of-its-kind technical assistance in the boarding of a suspected People’s Republic of China-flagged fishing vessel. poaching in the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. in December 2020. This effort led to a boarding and a dossier, which led to the seizure of the catch and $30,000 in cash, the detention of 28 crew members and the sharing of vital information on the activities of illegal fishing with stakeholders.

“For those who remain from the first crew, we still feel a lot of your efforts and we are now contributing to ours as the second crew. This transit, 10,500 nautical miles, is substantial. I am really proud to be part of this crew and especially grateful to our people ashore for always supporting us,” said USCGC Myrtle Hazard Commanding Officer Lt. Jalle Merritt.

The Myrtle Hazard is the 39th 154-foot Sentinel-class fast-response cutter named for the first enlisted woman, electrician and radio operator, in the U.S. Coast Guard. The vessel was commissioned with her sister ships, Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) and Frederick Hatch (1143), in Guam in July 2021. These cutters are a vital part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s enduring regional presence serving the Pacific peoples conduct 10 of the Service’s 11 statutory missions with an emphasis on search and rescue, defense preparedness, protection of living marine resources and ensuring commerce through maritime security and ports, waterways waterways and coastal safety.

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