Tuesday, September 11, 2018

USCGC Bertholf Returns to Alameda

By Karen Robes Meeks

The Alameda crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf recently ended a nearly 90-day deployment to the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California after taking part in Rim of the Pacific 2018, considered the largest multi-national naval exercise in the world.

According to the Coast Guard, twenty-five nations, 46 ships and five submarines, some 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel took part in the exercise, which required participants to aid and carry out several boardings, humanitarian response scenarios and war-at-sea exercises, which were designed to strengthen international relations with allied navies.

Bertholf served as the task force commander for the multi-national, Combined Task Force 175, which included naval units from Japan, the Philippines, Peru and France.

“The crew performed superbly, and we were able to show our Coast Guard skills with navies from around the pacific,” said Capt. John Driscoll, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf.