The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Thetis (WMEC-910) departed Mindelo, Cape Verde March 11, 2019, following the cutter’s first scheduled port visit during its deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
The Thetis crew provided guided tours to Cabo Verde Coast Guard senior leaders, Jose Gomçalves, Minister of Maritime Economy for Cabo Verde, and Marissa Scott-Torres, acting U.S. Ambassador, Chargeé d’ Affaires to Cabo Verde.
“The journey crossing the Atlantic Ocean, encountering rough seas as well as beautiful sunsets to come to the West African Coast and the chance to strengthen our partnerships, has myself and my crew excited,” said Cmdr. Randall Chong, commanding officer of the cutter Thetis. “We are looking forward to working alongside regional partners share knowledge between our maritime forces and help build the relationships between our services.”
During the port visit, the Thetis crew provided guided tours to local students. The crew also participated in a sports day, playing basketball and soccer, with local students.
The Thetis, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Key West, Florida is the first Coast Guard cutter to support and deploy to U.S. Africa Command and U.S. 6th Fleet since 2012.
While on patrol, the Thetis will conduct maritime safety and security training operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations and participate in exercise Obangame Express 2019.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquarted in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests, security and stability in Europe and Africa.