An active search is underway for a missing Coast Guard member aboard the CGC Waesche in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The CGC Waesche, along with attached helicopter and small unmanned aircraft systems, is conducting search operations in the area, as reported by LCDR Jeannie Shaye, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour are seen performing a towing operation on December 7, 2024, with an image showing the transfer of the tow line between the vessels. (Photo credit: ET2 Thomas Gaeckle/U.S. Coast Guard)
The Waesche, a legend-class national security cutter commissioned in 2010, is homeported in Alameda, California, according to the Coast Guard’s website.
National security cutters are designed to support global operations and missions, and can hold a crew of up to 170, according to the branch.
Posts on the vessel’s Facebook page show the crew partaking in a number of military and holiday-related activities.
The ship is 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, has a top speed in excess of 28 knots and a range of 12,000 nautical miles, according to the Coast Guard.
