Richard Dixon moored next to smaller cutters, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 24 June 2015
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USCGC Richard Dixon |
Namesake | Richard Dixon |
Operator | United States Coast Guard |
Builder | Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana |
Launched | April 14, 2015 |
Acquired | April 14, 2015[1] |
Commissioned | June 20, 2015[2] |
Homeport | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Identification | WPC-1113 |
Motto | Initiative & fortitude |
Status | in active service |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Sentinel-class cutter |
Displacement | 353 long tons (359 t) |
Length | 46.8 m (154 ft) |
Beam | 8.11 m (26.6 ft) |
Depth | 2.9 m (9.5 ft) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
Endurance |
|
Boats & landing craft carried | 1 × Short Range Prosecutor RHIB |
Complement | 2 officers, 20 crew |
Sensors and processing systems | L-3 C4ISR suite |
Armament |
|
USCGC Richard Dixon is the United States Coast Guard's thirteenth Sentinel-class cutter, commissioned in Tampa, Florida, on June 20, 2015.[2][3] She arrived in her home port of San Juan, Puerto Rico on June 24, 2015.[4]
On September 20, 2015, Richard Dixon intercepted a "go fast" smuggling boat, near the Dominican Republic, intercepting 41 bales of marijuana the smugglers had tried to jettison prior to their capture.[5]
On March 9, 2016, air elements of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency requested Richard Dixon intercept a vessel with 25 refugees from the Dominican Republic.[6] The Coast Guard subjects every refugee to a biometric recording, enabling them to recognize them if they make subsequent attempts to reach the United States.[7] One individual was transferred to the U.S. for possible prosecution, while the other 24 were repatriated.
On April 2, 2016, Richard Dixon intercepted another small vessel from the Dominican Republic, carrying 20 refugees.[8] Fourteen of the refugees were transferred to a Dominican naval vessel.[9] Three of the remaining refugees were taken to the United States, for prosecution, because this was not their first attempt to enter the United States. The other three refugees were not Dominicans; they were believed to be from India. They were taken to the U.S. to be repatriated later.
On April 25, 2018, Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted Richard Dixon to intercept a suspected vessel while Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch (CAMB) and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action positioned marine units that were also ready to respond. Richard Dixon arrived on scene and interdicted the go-fast, detained the suspected smugglers, a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico and a national of the Dominican Republic and seized multiple bales of contraband, which tested positive for cocaine. Two smugglers, 491.5 kilograms of cocaine and 9.2 kilograms of heroin worth an estimated wholesale value of US$13.3 million were held.
On August 9, 2018, Richard Dixon intercepted two yola type vessels from the Dominican Republic carrying a total of 56 refugees. One of the refugees was brought ashore by Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action while the rest were safely repatriated in the Dominican Republic.
On December 24, 2018, Richard Dixon intercepted a suspected vessel. She arrived on scene and interdicted the go-fast, detained the suspected smugglers, four citizens of the Dominican Republic and seized multiple bales of contraband, which tested positive for cocaine. 210 kilograms of cocaine were seized worth an estimated wholesale value of US$5 million dollars.
On May 13, 2019, Richard Dixon intercepted a yola type vessel from the Dominican Republic carrying a total of 20 refugees. Four of the refugees were brought ashore by Customs and Border Protection while the rest were safely repatriated in the Dominican Republic.
The vessel is named after Richard Dixon, a Coast Guard hero.[10][11][12][13]
Richard Dixon arrived after a 1,500-nautical mile trip from Tampa, Florida, where the cutter was commissioned June 20, 2015.
Bollinger Shipyards LLC, Lockport, LA, has delivered the Richard Dixon, the thirteenth 154 ft Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard.
The agency's cutter Richard Dixon responded and seized the vessel after suspects tossed four packages into the water.
The USCG cutter Richard Dixon repatriated 24 migrants to the Dominican Republic.
The crew of the USCG Richard Dixon transferred the 25 migrants, who claimed to be citizens of the Dominican Republic, on board the cutter for safety and biometric processing.
The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon returned 14 Dominicans to the Dominican Republic Friday, after a boat carrying 17 Dominicans and three Indians was interdicted in the Mona Passage Wednesday just off the coast of Aguada, Puerto Rico.[dead link]
The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon repatriated the remaining 14 Dominicans to the Dominican Republic during an at-sea transfer of the migrants to a Dominican Navy patrol vessel Friday just south of La Romana.
Richard Dixon, a Boatswain's Mate stationed at Tillamook Bay, was awarded two Coast Guard Medals for his heroic actions on July Fourth weekend, 1980.
Petty Officer Dixon is cited for heroism on the afternoon of 3 July 1980 while serving as the coxswain of Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat (MLB) 44409.
Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 153-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services.