US Coast Guard ship in Chennai to mark India ties

Chennai, Sep 17: A US Coast Guard ship on Friday arrived on a port visit that was aimed at reiterating 75 years of "trusted partnership" between the US and India.

USCGC Midgett, a Hawaii-based National Security Cutter (NSC), reached Chennai for a port visit from September 16-19, a release from the US Consulate General here said.

It intends to hold bilateral in-port and at-sea professional exchanges, sharing expertise and best practices in exercises in Coast Guard missions.

"USCGC Midgett is on a mission to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific through cooperation and maritime domain awareness with the Indian Coast Guard. The visit by USCGC Midgett is aimed at reiterating the 75 years of trusted partnership between the United States and India and strengthening the relationship" between the Coast Guards of the two countries, it said.

The Midgett is equipped with a UAS Scan Eagle drone, MH-65 helicopter and other state-of-the-art equipment. It is commanded by Captain Willie Carmichael since August 2021.

"As we spend the next four days with our Indian Coast Guard partners, we will work to advance our capabilities and interoperability through meaningful human interactions with our likeminded partners who share similar values and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the official was quoted as saying.

Naval Attaché at the US Embassy in New Delhi Captain David Wilcox said, "This port visit demonstrates our Coast Guards' shared commitment to promote safety and security at sea within the international rules-based order." US Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin said the United States is a proud Indo-Pacific nation, "and our vital interests are inextricably tied to the region".

"India is an important partner of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. I am confident the US-India partnership during the visit of the USCGC Midgett will further strengthen our bond towards a shared vision of a free and secure Indo-Pacific," she said.

According to the release, USCGC Midgett is the largest and most technologically advanced of the US Coast Guard's newest classes of cutter.

The Legend-class national security cutter (NSC) is the centerpiece of the U.S. Coast Guard's fleet, capable of executing the most challenging operations, including supporting maritime homeland security and defense missions.

Compared to legacy cutters, the NSCs' design provides better sea-keeping and higher sustained transit speeds, greater endurance and range, and the ability to launch and recover small boats from astern, as well as aviation support facilities and a flight deck for helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Each NSC is capable of operating in the most demanding open ocean environments. With robust command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, stern boat launch and aviation facilities, as well as long-endurance station keeping, the NSCs are afloat operational-level headquarters for complex law enforcement and national security missions involving multiple Coast Guard and partner agency participation.

Midgett is named for the late Rear Admiral John Allen Midgett, who was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal, the country's highest award for saving a life, for his heroic rescue of 42 crewmen from the torpedoed British tanker Mirlo in 1918. The cutter has accommodations for approximately 170 officers and enlisted crewmembers.

Key Characteristics of USCGC Midgett:

• Length: 418 ft
• Beam: 54 ft
• Draft: 22 ft
• Displacement: 4700LT
• Mast Height: 154 ft
• Max Speed: 28 kts