The US Navy frigate USS McClusky (FFG 41) returned to San Diego following a five-month deployment to the 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR), Sept. 26.
During this final deployment, the ship played an integral part in the counter-transnational organized crime (C-TOC) mission Operation Martillo (Spanish for “hammer”). Operation Martillo is a U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere partner-nation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters in Central America.
McClusky’s crew participated alongside the “Wildcards” of HSC-23 Detachment Three and U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 102
The successful joint-service deployment resulted in five total illegal drug interdictions and two Safety-of-Life-at-Sea (SOLAS) operations for a total seizure of 6,362 kilograms cocaine.
The ship also participated in a community relations (COMREL) project at El Laguito Elementary School in Colon, Panama where Sailors helped paint classrooms, doors and windows.
The crew of McClusky will now begin to make final preparations for the ship to decommission in January.
Joint interagency and international relationships strengthen U.S. Third Fleet’s ability to respond to crises and protect the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners.