A USCGC Hamilton crew member reunites with his wife at the pier in North Charleston, S.C., Dec. 21, 2022. Hamilton completed a 94-day deployment in the Baltic Sea in support of U.S. 6th Fleet. (Brandon Hillard/U.S. Coast Guard)
Crew members of a U.S. Coast Guard cutter arrived at their homeport with time to spare before Christmas after a 94-day deployment focused on bolstering allied security in the Baltic Sea.
The 160-strong crew of USCGC Hamilton was greeted Wednesday in North Charleston, S.C., by awaiting family members carrying welcome home signs.
The cutter operated in support of the Naples, Italy-based U.S. 6th Fleet, which overseas naval operations in Europe.
“It was an honor to grow the relationship between the United States and our Baltic Sea allies and partners during engagements both at sea and in port,” Capt. Matthew Brown, commanding officer of the Hamilton, said in a statement.
A USCGC Hamilton crew member's family displays signs at the pier in North Charleston, S.C., Dec. 21, 2022, after Hamilton completed a 94-day deployment in the Baltic Sea, in support of U.S. 6th Fleet. (Brandon Hillard/U.S. Coast Guard)
The Hamilton deployment represents a small slice of how the U.S. has stepped up military activities in Europe in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine that was launched in February.
While large units, such as the 101st Airborne Division, and other rotational Army brigades represent the bulk of an enlarged American force in Europe now at roughly 100,000 service members, smaller contingents also round out the mission.
Likewise, about 50 Marines and sailors recently wrapped up a monthlong deployment aboard the Spearfish-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Trenton, returning to Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Dec. 13.
That mission showcased the II Marine Expeditionary Force’s ability to rapidly put troops in the European theater, the Marines said in a statement Wednesday.
The Marines supported various training missions with allies in Greece, the Mediterranean Sea and Rota, Spain.
A USCGC Hamilton crew member and his family pose for a photo at the pier in North Charleston, S.C., Dec. 21. 2022. Hamilton completed a 94-day deployment in the Baltic Sea in support of U.S. 6th Fleet. (Brandon Hillard/U.S. Coast Guard)
In the case of the Hamilton, the deployment began with a trans-Atlantic voyage to Rota before the ship made its way through the English Channel and Danish straits, waterways that provide passage for 15% of the world’s shipping.
From there, the cutter entered the Baltic Sea and conducted exchanges with naval, coast guard and border guard forces from allied states and prospective NATO members Sweden and Finland, the Coast Guard said.
The mission marked the first time in over a decade that a U.S. military vessel visited the Finnish harbor city of Turku. Meanwhile, the Hamilton was the first Coast Guard cutter to visit Riga, Latvia, in more than two decades.
Hamilton is a 418-foot national security cutter regarded as the most technologically advanced class of ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet.
The USCGC Hamilton moors to the pier in North Charleston, S.C., Dec. 21. 2022, after completing a 94-day deployment to the Baltic Sea in support of U.S. 6th Fleet. (Brandon Hillard/U.S. Coast Guard)
