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News
NEWS | Nov. 5, 2022

USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753) arrives in Turku, Finland

By U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Public Affairs

The Legend-class national security cutter (NSC) USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753) arrived in Turku, Finland for a scheduled port visit, Nov. 5, 2022.

While in Turku, Hamilton leadership will meet with government and Finnish Navy and Finnish Border Guard leaders and will host tours for the local Finnish public.

“We are honored and enthusiastic to call on the historic city of Turku. This visit is oriented to build on the decades-long partnership between the United States and Finland," said Capt. Matthew Brown, commanding officer of USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753). "The U.S. Coast Guard’s collaboration with the Finnish Border Guard advances our shared ambitions of peace and security in the Baltic Sea.”

Prior to arriving in Turku, Hamilton conducted multiple operations with allies and partners in the Baltic Sea, including a series of search and rescue and law enforcement boarding exercises with the Swedish Coast Guard. Working alongside regional partners improves participants’ ship handling, communication, and tactical precision.

Hamilton departed Charleston, South Carolina, in October for a scheduled deployment to the NAVEUR area of operations, demonstrating the Coast Guard’s welcome presence and key contribution in maintaining maritime safety, security, and stability in the region. The ship conducted a port visit at Naval Station Rota, Spain, in October, before sailing north to the Baltic region.

This deployment builds upon NAVEUR’s ongoing mission of reassuring the NATO Alliance and advancing interoperability within the maritime domain and continues to hone the ship’s proficiency in the region. Hamilton previously deployed to European waters in 2021, where the cutter conducted maritime exercises with multiple NATO Allies and partners.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s forward deployed presence demonstrates the continued commitment to maritime security and stability in Europe and Africa. Since 2019, Coast Guard cutters have operated in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, demonstrating NAVEUR’s commitment and collective defense of the European region. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard operate forward, from the littoral to the open ocean, ensuring stability and open sea lanes across all maritime domains.

Hamilton is the fourth ship in its class. The Legend-class is the largest current cutter class of the U.S. Coast Guard. These vessels support various missions, including environmental protection, search and rescue, fisheries, port security, counterterrorism, law enforcement, drug interdiction, defense operations, and other military operations

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with our Allies and Partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.