CG Cutter Vigorous Returns Home

CAPE MAY — Home for the holidays, that’s the crew of the 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous which returned to homeport Nov. 19 after completing a 56-day deployment in the Caribbean Sea. The cutter will remain in port for the holiday season.
Patrol highlights include law enforcement boardings, search and rescue operations as well as successfully completing Tailored Ship’s Training Availability. TSTA involves crewmembers in an intensive training period designed to develop performance in shipboard operations and emergency procedures. The training prepares the ship and crew for mission-critical operations which concludes into a final evaluated problem assessment. Coast Guard crewmembers were tested on their level of knowledge and proficiency in areas such as damage control, engineering, seamanship and navigation, combat systems, and medical readiness.
“The training team enthusiastically executed their responsibilities during a compressed training cycle,” said Cmdr. Gregory Magee, commanding officer of Vigorous. “The outstanding TSTA evaluation is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our shipmates.”
The 210-foot Vigorous is a 43-year-old medium endurance cutter homeported in Cape May working a wide range of multi-mission Coast Guard operations including search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, homeland and coastal security and environmental and natural resources protection.
Vigorous, along with the rest of the medium endurance cutter fleet, will soon be replaced by the Offshore Patrol Cutter, a next-generation ship that will complement the Coast Guard’s current and future fleet to extend the service’s operational capabilities.
It will feature increased range and endurance, more powerful weapons, a larger flight deck, and improved command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) equipment. The OPC will accommodate aircraft and small boat operations in all weather.