U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard crews conduct joint search-a
A boat crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 26-foot Mark IV over-the-horizon small boat follows Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 35-foot long-range interceptor small boat and the Japan Coast Guard patrol craft Satsukaze as the boat crews transit Kagoshima Bay, Japan, during a joint search-and-rescue exercise, Feb. 14, 2023. Kimball’s crew are in Kagoshima to conduct joint training and professional exchanges with members of the Japan Coast Guard, expanding on a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2022 between the two sea services, which established Operation SAPPHIRE, a perpetual operation to strengthen relationships, increase bilateral engagements, and focus on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.