A lone vessel of the United States Coast Guard will arrive on Tuesday for joint search and rescue operations exercise with the Philippine Coast Guard.
A PCG source identified the ship as The Midgett (WMSL-757), the eighth legend-class cutter of the USCG stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The cutter was constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding Division in Pascagoula Mississippi and delivered to the USCG in April 2019.
It is named in honor of all members of the Midgett family who have served in the USCG, US Life-Saving Service, and/or other predecessor life-saving services.
The Philippines will be represented by BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402), BRP Boracay (FPB-2401), and a Coast Guard Aviation Force.
The venue of the joint exercise was not divulged for security purposes.
The same exercise was held last year in Subic Bay, Zambales. This involved vessel communication, search and rescue, small boat operation, multi-vessel maneuvering, and emergency response operation in distressed situations such as fire onboard and man overboard.
The joint maritime exercise is anchored in the Philippine-United States cooperation to promote security and enhance law enforcement interoperability in the country’s maritime jurisdiction.