U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard crews conduct joint search-a
Crewmembers aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball’s (WMSL 756) 35-foot long-range interceptor small boat retrieve a Japan Coast Guard Mobile Rescue Technician from the water acting as a distressed swimmer during a joint search-and-rescue exercise with members of the Japan Coast Guard in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, 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.