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U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Reliance Arrives Onboard NAS Pensacola

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Reliance arrived at their new homeport onboard NAS Pensacola Monday, after a nearly month-long patrol of the Windward Pass between Cuba, the Bahamas and Haiti.

The Reliance joins the Coast Guard Cutters Diligence, Decisive, Dauntless and Cypress onboard NAS Pensacola.

“It’s very exciting to be on the pier as we welcome the Coast Guard Cutter Reliance to NAS Pensacola — the fourth of the Coast Guard cutters that will be stationed here,” said Capt. Tim Kinsella, commanding officer, NAS Pensacola. “It’s especially exciting to have the Reliance here — being the namesake for this class of the cutters.”

Reliance departed her former homeport at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine on July 6, sailing for the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland to effect repairs to the propulsion shafts.

Reliance sailed from the Coast Guard Yard to begin her patrol of the Windward Pass, August 5. While patrolling the Caribbean, the Reliance operated alongside interagency and international partners to prevent dangerous, illegal maritime migration. The patrol included the repatriation of 16 Haitian migrants, participation in a search for survivors of a capsized Haitian vessel, shipboard training and storm avoidance.

“Reliance’s departure from Kittery, Maine, brings an end to 31 years of faithful service in the North Atlantic,” said Cmdr. Robert Hill, commanding officer, Coast Guard Cutter Reliance. “The crew has performed exceptionally during our patrol amidst the challenges faced by COVID-19 and multiple tropical storms that arose. I could not be prouder of this crew and know that we are ready to continue our service in Pensacola, where the Coast Guard has strategically clustered part of its 210′ cutter fleet for logistical support and proximity to our mission area of responsibility.”

The homeport shift to Pensacola marks the second time Reliance has been homeported in Florida; Reliance was homeported in Port Canaveral from 1982 until 1987.

“It’s definitely a different environment for the crew,” Hill said. “Reliance, typically in the North Atlantic, was doing a lot of fisheries enforcement boarding, so our missions down here are a change of pace, but the crew is excited to be here. We are looking forward to it.”

Kinsella met Hill following the cutter’s arrival and welcomed Reliance and her crew to the NAS Pensacola family.

“We look forward to working with them throughout their time here, and helping them to do their mission wherever they deploy — whether it be to the Eastern Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico or even the Atlantic,” Kinsella said. “We are very happy to be partnering with them to help them continue their mission.”

Reliance (WMEC-615) is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. It is the first of the 210′ Medium Endurance Cutter Fleet and the fourth Revenue Cutter/Coast Guard Cutter to bear the name Reliance. The cutter’s primary missions are counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcing federal fishery laws, and search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Photos: Joshua Cox for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.