U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard Capture Drug-Running Semi-Submersible

PRESS RELEASE

From Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command - Commander, U.S. 4th Fleet

USS MCINERNEY, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors from USS McInerney (FFG 8) and U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 404 (LEDET) intercepted a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) carrying seven tons of cocaine Sept. 13.

Sailors intercepted the 59-foot SPSS in a nighttime interdiction 350 miles off the coast of Guatemala, capturing four suspected narcotics smugglers from Colombia and the large cargo of cocaine before the SPSS could be scuttled.

An SPSS is capable of carrying 3-5 metric tons of cocaine and has no maritime use other than the covert transport of narcotics or other illegal goods. An SPSS is between 25-65 feet long, travel at speeds up to 13 knots, carry 4-5 crew members, and can travel up to 2,500 nautical miles without refueling. An SPSS is dangerous to capture since it is designed with valves that smugglers can use to quickly flood and sink the vessel, posing a risk to boarding teams attempting to capture it.

McInerney, homeported in Mayport, Fla., and the embarked LEDET 404 are currently deployed under operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (NAVSO/4th FLT) conducting counter illicit trafficking operations for Joint Interagency Task Force-South in the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of focus.

As the Naval Component Command of USSOUTHCOM, NAVSO's mission is to direct U.S. Naval Forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Various operations include counter-illicit trafficking, theater security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.

Fourth Fleet is the numbered fleet assigned to NAVSO, exercising operational control of assigned forces in the SOUTHCOM area of focus.

USS McInerney Webpage


Commentary


I think this will be the bulk of the 4th Fleet's task...interdiction.


Previously:

U.S. 4th Fleet Officially Re-established

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U.S. 4th Fleet Officially Re-established

MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead officially re-established U.S. 4th Fleet and named Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan as its commander during a ceremony at Naval Station Mayport July 12.

The ceremony followed the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO) change of command, during which Kernan relieved Rear Adm. James W. Stevenson Jr.

Kernan, the dual-hatted NAVSO and 4th Fleet commander, is responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines assigned from east and west coast fleets to operate in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, Central and South America and surrounding waters.

"Re-establishing the Fourth Fleet affirms our support for, and our desire to, enhance cooperative relationships with the navies and maritime services in the Caribbean and Central and South America. It recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the region," said Roughead.

"Our maritime strategy raises the importance of forming global maritime partnerships by working with international partners as the basis for global maritime security. Re-establishing Fourth Fleet allows us to more effectively employ naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on mutual interests."

Fourth Fleet was first established in 1943 as one of the original numbered fleets. During World War II, the United States needed a command in charge of protecting against raiders, blockade runners and enemy submarines in the South Atlantic. Fourth Fleet fulfilled that mission until it was disestablished in 1950, and U.S. 2nd Fleet took over its responsibilities.

Source: U.S. Navy
Related: Community Participation
Related: Wikipedia
FAS: Numbered Fleets
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Commentary

My guess is that this fleet will be doing a lot a drug interdiction work, and will be keeping an eye on Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and incursions by Eastern Hemisphere Navies.

The fleet will be headquarters at the Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida.

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