"The crew of Coast Guard Oliver Henry just completed a 43-day historic patrol across Oceania where we patrolled and visited ports in the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. We also patrolled the exclusive economic zones of those countries and also off Solomon Islands during our time out there," said Lieutenant Freddy Hofschneider, commanding officer of the USCGC Oliver Henry,  Operation Blue Pacific expeditionary patrol was pretty significant because they were able to validate the capabilities of the fast-response cutters homeported in Apra Harbor.

"And really showing what we can do out there to help promote regional stability in terms of fisheries and continue to build relationships with our regional partners," he added.

The crew conducted training, fisheries observations, community and key leader engagements, and a multilateral sail. They covered more than 8,000 nautical miles. Capt. Nick Simmons, commander U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam. "The fact that we can take these 154-foot ships with a crew of 25 and a lieutenant commanding officer and push them so far over the horizon, even as far as Australia -- which is what Oliver Henry just did -- is an incredible capability for the region."

Simmons is proud of the cutter crew for their work, resiliency and the fact they pulled off a variety of firsts.

"First-time port calls in a couple of places like Papua New Guinea and Australia. Even more than that, I am proud of the resilience of the families. Not just the families of Oliver Henry, but all the families here to support them and our local community here in Guam," he said.

The Oliver Henry is the 40th sentinel-class fast response cutter. The ship was commissioned along with its sister ships, Myrtle Hazard  and Frederick Hatch, in Guam in July 2021.