WAESCHE

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Course/Position

Latest news

Search for missing crew member

The U.S. Coast Guard started searching for a crew member who was reported unaccounted for aboard the CGC 'Waesche (WMSL 751) ' while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Feb 6 2025, approximately 300 nautical miles south of Mexico, The patrol boat, zjr attached helicopter and small unmanned aircraft systems were conducting search patterns in the area. Additional Coast Guard and interagency search assets were being employed in the effor. The specific locations of the search efforts could not be disclosed due to operational security considerations. It was unclear when the crew member went missing, who was last seen eight hours earlier. The cutter immediately deviated from its routine counter-drug patrol tasking and initiated a comprehensive search effort. Besides the 'Waesche' itself, the following assets joined the SAR operation: - Two Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 aircraft from Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-S); - a C-130 aircraft from U.S. Air Force (USCF) 39th Rescue Squadron; -- a C-130 aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak; - the 'Waesche's embarked Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drone; - a Mexican Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel: - a Mexican Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The search area and effort are vast, and the operation is being carefully coordinated to ensure maximum coverage and effectiveness. The circumstances around the case were under investigation.

Fire in exhaust stack

The 'Waesche (WMSL' 751) arrived at Yokosuka on Sep 22, 2020, after combatting a shipboard engineering fire on Sept. 20, during a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of operations. Black smoke was reported at 5:18 p.m., and investigations revealed fires in the exhaust stack and nearby spaces. After 90 minutes of firefighting, the fires were confirmed extinguished. Five crew members reported minor injuries sustained during firefighting efforts and were treated by the onboard medical team. The extent of the damages and cause of the fire are currently under investigation. While at Fleet Forces Yokosuka, the cutter will undergo further inspection and potentially repairs. The cutter was under the tactical control of U.S. 7th Fleet as part of routine presence operations in support of the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Report with photo: https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-cutter-arrives-in-japan-following-an-onboard-fire/2020/09/23/