PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa (WMEC 902) is scheduled to return to their home port in Portsmouth, Friday, following a 67-day deployment to the Eastern Pacific Ocean in support of the counterdrug mission “Operation Pacific Viper.”
WHO: The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Tampa (WMEC 902)
WHAT: Tampa and crew members return home after completing a 67-day deployment in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
WHERE: Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, 4000 Coast Guard Blvd., Portsmouth, VA, 23703
WHEN: Friday, 10 a.m., Nov. 21, 2025
Editor’s Note: Media are asked to RSVP no later than 7:30 a.m. Friday with Coast Guard Atlantic Area External Affairs by emailing lantpao@uscg.mil. Interested media are requested to arrive at Base Portsmouth's security office no later than 9:15 a.m. Friday with a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance to be processed through security.
Tampa’s crew deployed in support of Joint Interagency Task Force - South and conducted counterdrug missions in the Coast Guard’s Eastern Pacific area of responsibility. While at sea, Tampa’s crew successfully contributed to protecting Americans by countering transnational criminal organizations and preventing dangerous and illegal narcotics from reaching the United States.
Tampa is a 270-foot class medium endurance cutter commissioned in 1984. The cutter’s primary missions include counterdrug and migrant interdiction operations, enforcement of federal fishery laws, and search and rescue operations in support of Coast Guard missions throughout the Western Hemisphere. Tampa operates under the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, based in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Images of Tampa can be found here:
-USCG-