Three US and Canadian Coast Guard Ships Visit Vallarta This Week Team Angels/Jerry Lafferty - Puerto Vallarta Navy League
March 21, 2016

Hola amigos and amigas,

An old friend, the Alert, arrived PV yesterday and departs on Tuesday. A reception for Officers and Chiefs will be held Monday the 21st, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Murphy's Irish Pub on the Malecon. Please try to attend if only briefly to welcome these fine sailors to PV. An Irish buffet plus drinks will be available for a modest donation fee of 200 pesos, part of which will offset the cost of hosting the Alert's wardroom.

United States Coast Guard Cutter Alert (WMEC-630) is a medium endurance cutter and is the last 210-foot (64 m) medium endurance cutter constructed. The keel was laid on 5 January 1968 at the United States Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, Maryland, and she was commissioned on Coast Guard Day, 4 August 1969. Alert derives her name from the early 19th century revenue cutter USRC Alert, which served in the early days of the Revenue Cutter Service.

The Navy League of Puerto Vallarta will also be hosting two other warships this week.

The Canadian Frigate Vancouver will arrive on Tuesday for a brief visit, likely leaving on Thursday.

HMCS Vancouver is a Halifax-class frigate, of the Royal Canadian Navy launched on 8 July 1989, as the second vessel of her class. She is currently based at CFB Esquimalt on the west coast of Canada. She is the third vessel to be named for Vancouver, British Columbia. HMCS Vancouver has some high-tech new additions after a major refit last year, with new command and control systems - eye-catching computer screens replace grease pencils and whiteboards - combat management systems, radar capability, and communications and missile-system upgrades.

The Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast arrives on Wednesday and departs on Friday or Saturday.

USCGC Steadfast (WMEC-623) is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter and has served the United States for over 40 years. Since commissioning in 1968, Steadfast has completed over 330 Search and Rescue cases, interdicted over 1.6 million pounds of marijuana and 27,700 pounds of cocaine, seized over 65 vessels, and stopped over 3500 undocumented migrants on the high seas from entering the United States. Steadfast was the first, and is one of only two cutters awarded the gold marijuana leaf, symbolizing one million pounds of marijuana seized.

For more information about scheduled open activities and ship tours, please email Dennis Rike of the American Legion at dennis2rike@hotmail.com.

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