The Coast Guard Cutter Bainbridge Island, homeported in Sandy Hook, N.J., arrived in Norfolk, Va., on June 11 from Rota, Spain, after their trans-Atlantic journey home following their efforts as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
One of four patrol boats assigned to the Mediterranean, the Bainbridge Island was deployed to be used in case a northern front opened in Turkey. Although that front never happened, the patrol boat crews were trained and ready to assist the operational commander as needed. While there, crews worked with Command Sixth Fleet operational personnel, other U.S. Navy teams and SEAL members to develop a training plan for Marine Interdiction Operations (MIO).
The return home marks the first time 110-ft. patrol boats have sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. To get to the Mediterranean, the patrol boats were carried aboard a
commercial freight ship.
The Bainbridge Island, assigned to the European Command, was only part of the Coast Guard forces deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom, the President’s global war on terrorism and future contingencies. Additionally, the CGC Adak from Sandy Hook, N.J., is still deployed to the theater of operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom.