Security Levels

National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) check current status
Image CGC CONFIDENCE Logo

USCGC Confidence (WMEC 619)
Unit History

Commissioned 1966 / Re-Commissioned 1988
 

USCGC Confidence (W619) at Commissioning

Construction of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter CONFIDENCE began at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, in 1965 and was completed in 1966.  Fifth of 16 vessels in the class, CONFIDENCE was designed for search and rescue, law enforcement, and alien migrant interdiction operations (AMIO). Originally assigned to the Seventeenth Coast Guard District to support operations in Kodiak, Alaska, in the spring of 1983, following 17 years in Alaskan waters, CONFIDENCE was reassigned to the Thirteenth Coast Guard District and was homeported in Port Angeles, Washington. During her time in the Pacific Northwest, CONFIDENCE’s crew seized 17 foreign and U.S. vessels for violations of U.S. law.  In January 1986, CONFIDENCE and her crew seized the Panamanian freighter “Eagle 1” and its cargo of 506 pounds of cocaine. This was the largest maritime seizure of cocaine on the west coast at the time.

CONFIDENCE was decommissioned and sent to the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in February of 1987 for a major overhaul, referred to as a Midlife Maintenance Availability. Modifications included the installation of a new electronics package to increase the ship’s effectiveness, new engines and smokestacks to increase efficiency, and habitability was improved. In October 1988, CONFIDENCE was commissioned back into service and sent to her new homeport in Port Canaveral, Florida. Now the ship is normally assigned to patrol the waters off the southern coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Her primary missions are Counter Drug operations, Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations (AMIO), Homeland Security Operations, fisheries law enforcement, and Search and Rescue (SAR).

Since the fall of 1991, CONFIDENCE has been heavily involved in AMIO, including the interdiction of Haitian, Cuban, and Dominican Republic migrants attempting to illegally enter the U.S. One highlight of these operations was CONFIDENCE’s participation in Operation Able Vigil in 1994, and rescued 1,123 Cuban migrants in less than 4 weeks. The busiest day resulted in the interdiction of 346 migrants from 46 separate rafts and boats in just 16 hours. In the spring of 1997, CONFIDENCE participated in Operation Able Manner, interdicting 428 Haitian migrants. Later that year, the ship was the primary platform for Operation Restore Dignity off the coast of Haiti, recovering 78 Haitians who perished when their ferry sank.

In 2001, CONFIDENCE was outfitted with a Over the Horizon (OTH) Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, designed to transport law enforcement teams at high speeds for long distances independent of the cutter. Since then CONFIDENCE has received the MKII version and in February of 2008 received the MKIII version with improved communications, better crew endurance features, and a higher maximum speed.

From January 2003 until June 2005, CONFIDENCE interdicted over 1,100 Cuban, Haitian, and Dominican migrants with several noteworthy cases. In November 2004, CONFIDENCE rescued 82 migrants from a 28-foot Haitian sailing vessel taking on water off the coast of the Bahamas. In January 2005, CONFIDENCE crewmembers rescued 127 migrants in 8-foot seas from a 40- foot, grossly overloaded Dominican yola. In June, 2005 during a ten day period, CONFIDENCE safely intercepted 162 Haitians from a 40-foot vessel on the Great Bahama Bank, seven Cubans from a makeshift vessel sinking in the Old Bahama Channel and 111 Haitians in a 30-foot vessel in 9-foot seas north of Great Inagua, Bahamas. In August 2005, CONFIDENCE was one of the first surface assets on scene to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, delivering supplies and aid to the ravished Gulf Coast.

The year 2006 marked the 40th anniversary of CONFIDENCE’s initial commissioning. The original life expectancy of this cutter class was 30 years, but it is expected she will remain in service an additional 10-15 years. In May, the crew performed admirably in rescuing 126 Dominican Republic migrants & one Cuban migrant from a severely overloaded yola in 25-knot winds and six to eight foot seas. Later that month, CONFIDENCE was designated as Incident Commander for an extensive eight day multi-command/ interagency search effort aboard the Cambodian freighter TIO TAVO in San Juan PR.

From July 2006 until January 2007, CONFIDENCE was the second 210 WMEC to undergo the Mission Effectiveness Project (MEP). During this six month maintenance period CONFIDENCE received a number of upgrades to its Command and Control architecture along with a new davit system to launch and recover its new MKIII Over-the-Horizon (OTH) pursuit boat. While CONFIDENCE was at the CG Yard her crew developed/initiated inport partnerships with USCGC VIGILANT and USCGC VENTUROUS which served as a multi-crewing model for legacy cutters and future Deepwater assets.

In September 2007, CONFIDENCE was designated as On Scene Commander and exercised tactical command of USCGC PEA ISLAND, an Air Station Miami HU25 jet, an embarked HH65, and an Air Station Clearwater C130 to search for the missing crew of fishing vessel JOE COOL, which was reported overdue from Miami to Bimini, Bahamas and was subsequently located disabled and adrift more than 150NM south of its intended destination. Two survivors were located by the embarked HH65 and transported to CONFIDENCE where they were later questioned by FBI and CG Investigative Services agents. While prosecuting the JOE COOL case, CONFIDENCE simultaneously intercepted a 30 foot go-fast with 15 migrants disabled and taking on water 38NM from the cutter utilizing the OTH small boat. Despite deteriorating weather conditions and darkness, all the migrants were safely transferred aboard CONFIDENCE after more than nine hours in the boat.

In March of 2008, CONFIDENCE safely interdicted 38 Cuban migrants from four homemade rafts in a mere 12-hour period.

Since January 2011, CONFIDENCE rescued over 150 migrants from unseaworthy vessels. In October 2011, CONFIDENCE interdicted a sailing vessel carrying over 356 kilos of cocaine and sank the freighter Andrea 1, after she was determined to be a hazard to navigation.

During her years of faithful service, CONFIDENCE’s awards include the Presidential Unit Citation, Secretary of Transportation’s Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement, 6 Coast Guard Unit Commendations, 5 Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendations, 3 National Defense Service Medals, 4 Humanitarian Service Medals, and 4 Special Operations Ribbons. Following the ship’s 2011 Tailored Ships Training Availability, CONFIDENCE earned her 12th consecutive Coast Guard Battle “E” Ribbon for Operational Excellence.

USCGC Confidence (WMEC 619) today
Download Plug-Ins
Download Plug-Ins: Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them. Links to the plug-ins are available below.
Click Here to Download Adobe Acrobat Reader Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF)
Last Modified 1/26/2012