A homecoming for Hamilton

After 71 days of a counter-drug patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the crew of the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter Hamilton returned to its home port of North Charleston on Thursday.

The trip started off with combat system ship qualification trials, which tested the ship’s electronic weapons system and evaluated the capability of the National Security Cutter platform.

While patrolling the Eastern Pacific, the crew seized an estimated 2,962 kilograms of cocaine. They also rescued an olive ridley sea turtle from abandoned fishing nets and line. The crew was able to cut the turtle free from the net and line, and the debris was removed from the ocean as the turtle swam away with no signs of injury.

The Hamilton finished its patrol in Cartagena, Colombia, representing the United States at Sail Cartagena de Indias 2018, a tall ship summit celebrating 12 countries and over 3,000 sailors.

“It has been a busy two months for this ship and her crew as we completed vital testing of the ship’s weapons systems and departed Charleston for patrol,” Capt. Mark Gordon, commanding officer of the Hamilton, said in a news release. “We’re excited to be returning to homeport to prepare for our next patrol.”

Coast Guard cutter Hamilton is a 418-foot National Security Cutter that was commissioned in 2014. Its primary missions include counter-drug operations, alien and migrant interception, and search-and-rescue operations.

The Hamilton is one of two cutters home-ported in the Lowcountry. The cutter James also makes its home on the Cooper River at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.