The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Munro returned to their home port in Alameda, California, yesterday, following a historic 119-day multimission deployment spanning more than 26,000 miles from the Eastern Pacific Ocean to the Northern Atlantic.
The Munro departed Alameda Nov. 3, 2025, to conduct training and participate in the War Department's Resolute Hunter exercise offshore San Diego, before sailing into the Eastern Pacific to execute a counternarcotics patrol in support of the Coast Guard's Operation Pacific Viper.
The ship was diverted to the Atlantic Ocean in support of Operation Southern Spear. While assisting U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South and Coast Guard Southwest District, the Munro detected and identified a heavily laden vessel transiting along a known smuggling route in the Eastern Pacific.
With the help of its two cutter pursuit boats, the Scan Eagle short-range unmanned aerial system, and an embarked MH-65 Dolphin aircraft from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, the Munro successfully found, tracked and interdicted the vessel using warning shots and disabling fire from the aircraft.
The cutter subsequently detained six suspected narco-terrorists and seized 22,052 pounds of cocaine — valued at over $250 million — the single largest maritime drug seizure in 18 years, and the largest ever in the tactical squadron's history. This interdiction continued the Coast Guard's historic counter-drug operations through Operation Pacific Viper, including the seizure of over 200,000 pounds of cocaine along maritime smuggling routes from South and Central America since last August.
After transiting through the Panama Canal, the Munro took station in the Caribbean Sea to conduct new tasking in support of Operation Southern Spear. The ship located and identified the dark fleet oil tanker Bella 1, a U.S.-sanctioned vessel, determined to be without nationality and subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
The ship's crew continuously pursued the noncompliant vessel across the North Atlantic Ocean for 18 days and over 4,900 miles. The pursuit culminated with the boarding of the tanker, where the Munro worked in tandem with War Department assets to seize control of the 333-meter crude oil carrier for further transfer to the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security for disposition.
"The service, our nation and our families can be extremely proud of [the] Munro," said Coast Guard Capt. Jim O'Mara, the ship's commanding officer. "This crew rose to every new challenge thrown at them with professionalism and persistence, and they achieved historic results. This was a one-of-a-kind deployment for us, but it is also just one part of a much broader campaign and U.S. national strategy."
"We could not have done this without support from partners, allies and our families," O'Mara continued. "Our families had to adapt to each new twist, just like all military families do across the armed forces. It is tough on them, but when they hold strong at home, that keeps us motivated and focused on our mission. Now, we reunite with our loved ones, proud of what we accomplished and already preparing for the next mission."