Safely at Homeport, Families Greet Cutter Dependable’s Crew

CAPE MAY — Wives, sweethearts and youngsters clutched Valentine heart decorations as they battled a strong chilly wind waiting at the Coast Guard Training Center on Sunday, Feb. 1 for the return of the 210-foot Cutter Dependable.
When the vessel docked, the ebullient crowd broke into, “It’s Raining Men!”
Among those in that exuberant cluster of well wishers was Laura Short with her daughters Lucy, 2, and Ivy, 4. They were waiting to greet DC2 Chris Short, whom they had not seen for five months, although the vessel was gone since Dec. 15.
Stacey Clerkin, accompanied by Morgan, 5, and Tim, 10, waited anxiously to see YN1 Rob Clerkin, whom they last saw Dec. 15.
As Dependable slowly made its way from Cape May Inlet, accompanied by a Sea Tow vessel, Chanelle Zimmerman held 19-month-old Jedidiah Zimmerman as they awaited to see husband and dad Seaman Kelly Zimmerman.
DC1 Cory Yates got a big, long hug and kiss from fiancée Peggy Bentley and her children Gabriella, 8, who turned 8 Feb. 1, Drake, 6, and Gavin, 4.
Once the gangway was safely secured, family members streamed aboard the fantail in to the arms of waiting loved ones.
Dependable and its 75-member crew, under command of Cdr. Laura M. Dickey, returned to homeport on the dot of 11:30 a.m. It ended a month-long Florida Straits patrol between Cuba and the Florida Keys, and three weeks at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., to conduct cutter annual training.
According to Ens. Andrew Williams, public information officer, while on patrol, Dependable and its crew was on watch for migrants trying to make the 90-mile journey from Cuba to the Florida Keys. During the crew’s time in the Florida Straits, the ship served as a holding platform for a total of 53 migrants stopped by other Coast Guard cutters.
Because those migrants were seeking asylum, Williams said that, while the mission was a “tough one, because those people were seeking a better life, the crew realized our mission.”
He stated that, should those migrants set foot on American soil, they are granted asylum. If they are interdicted at sea, they are returned to Cuba.
Once aboard Dependable, Williams said a round-the-clock security watch had to be kept on the Cubans.
He also said it was a “dangerous trip because the Gulf Stream generates many dangerous currents,” and that could make it very treacherous for those migrant boat people.
On New Year’s Day, Dependable’s crew located a 14-foot boat made out of metal siding, dubbed a “chug” that was carrying 14 Cubans trying to make it to the United States. The cutter’s small boat crews stopped the vessel and brought the 14 migrants aboard the ship for processing and holding until they could be sent back to Cuba.
The Dependable also intercepted a “go fast” high-speed vessel that was suspected of drug smuggling.
That vessel was over taken with assistance of Customs and Drug Enforcement Agency agents. The vessel, which was overtaken at Andros Island in the Bahamas, was empty when boarded.
A three-week training period also took place at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
Dependable’s crew participated in 115 drills and training exercises involving damage control, navigation, electronic, combat systems, medical, engineering and seamanship.
The Dependable’s crew successfully completed all drills with a combined 96 percent average, making the ship and crew eligible for the Operational Readiness Award. Because of those ratings, an E, for excellence, and O for operational readiness, were proudly displayed on the vessel’s side.
Because the crew rated so highly in that training session, Williams termed it a “clean sweep,” he pointed to a broom swaying in the wind from the yardarm as a symbol of that success.