USCGC Vigorous (WMEC-627) is a United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 Reliance Class medium endurance cutter. Her keel was laid down by American Ship Building Company

American Ship Building Company

The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898...

, Lorain, Ohio

Lorain, Ohio

Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland....

 10 November 1962 and she was launched 04 May 1968. Vigorous was commissioned 02 May 1969 and her current homeport is Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States...

. She was decommissioned for modernization at the United States Coast Guard Yard

United States Coast Guard Yard

The United States Coast Guard Yard or just Coast Guard Yard is a United States Coast Guard operated shipyard located on Curtis Bay in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore city limits. It is the coast guard's sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, and part of the...

, in Curtis Bay, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

and was recommissioned 11 January 1993.
During her years of faithful service, VIGOROUS has been awarded the Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation, United States Secretary of Transportation’s Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement, 4 Coast Guard Unit Commendations, 6 Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendations, a Meritorious Team Award, the Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation, 14 Coast Guard "E" Ribbons, 3 National Defense Service Medals, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, 2 Humanitarian Service Medals, the Department of Transportation 9-11 Ribbon, 2 Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbons and 13 Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbons.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous intercepted the motor vessel Capt Lem, 170 miles southwest of Jamaica on June 15. In accordance with international law, the Coast Guard requested permission from the Honduran government to board and search the vessel. Honduran authorities confirmed the vessel was Honduran flagged and authorized the crew of the Vigorous to search the vessel.
During the search, crewmembers from the Vigorous noted a suspicious tank onboard. Upon opening the tank, 77 packages were observed. Further tests revealed the packages contained a total of 3,300 pounds of cocaine.
The crew of the Vigorous transferred the alleged crewmembers and cocaine to FBI agents in Port Canaveral, Fla.

During the 2010 Caribbean Games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous maintained a security zone in Mayaguez harbor.

External links

• Vigorous home page