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Roberts Completes Record-Breaking Counter-Drug Deployment

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS040323-08

Release Date: 3/23/2004 9:00:00 PM

By Ensign Jamie Letho, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Public Affairs

NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) returned to Mayport, Fla., March 19 after completing a six-month deployment to the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Area of Responsibility.

Interdicting 10.7 metric tons of cocaine and detaining 29 suspected drug traffickers, Samuel B. Roberts (SBR) carried out the most seizures by any Navy ship during a single deployment: five.

Beginning deployment Sept. 25, SBR set sail with the Silverbacks of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 44 Det. 7 and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 401. After departing Mayport, the frigate immediately turned south and transited the Panama Canal, bound for a counter-drug patrol in the Eastern Pacific.

On station less than a fortnight, the wardroom and crew was rewarded with its first much anticipated drug bust, seizing nearly 3 metric tons of cocaine and detaining 8 men.

Just a week later, Roberts located a vessel outside of designated fishing grounds operating without navigation lights. After requesting and receiving permission to board the vessel from Joint Interagency Task Force South, the agency responsible for counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean waters, embarked USCG personnel from LEDET 401 went aboard to investigate. The fishing vessel had a hidden compartment containing more than 2,200 kilograms of cocaine. The eight Colombian men were taken aboard as detainees.

In the following weeks, Roberts conducted two more interdictions, and just halfway through their engagement in the Pacific, it seemed Roberts could set a new record for most interdictions in one deployment. The existing record, held by USS McInerny (FFG 8), also homeported in Mayport, was four. The wardroom and crew set one goal for themselves - they would get five busts to claim the title.

Two weeks into the New Year, Roberts intercepted a speedboat laden with cocaine bound for North America. The vessel was set ablaze by its crew after being spotted by the Robert's SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, Magnum 450 of HSL-44 Det. 7. Roberts crew fought the fire and supported another succesful boarding that resulted in the detention of five suspects. Approximately one half of the 1.5 tons aboard was recovered and seized as evidence.

Roberts' opportunity to attain her goal came a few weeks later when her embarked helicopter sighted an unnamed go-fast on a westerly course. The frigate set best speed while Combat Information Center watch standers, receiving reports from the helicopter, determined an intercept course. The vessel, which eventually beached itself on the Costa Rican coast, jettisoned her illicit cargo. Five men were captured in Costa Rica, and Roberts, who had marked the position of the debris field, recovered 700 lbs. of cocaine from the Pacific waters.

Additionally, Roberts received Warfare Excellent Awards in the following areas: Engineering Survivability; Maritime Warfare; Supply Excellence; and Command, Control and Communications. The frigate also earned the Type Commander Safety Award, the Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbon, and was named self-sufficient ship of the quarter for FY04.

During a port visit to Panama City, Panama, crew members took time to participate in a community relations project and made repairs to a Panamanian school library. "It was a great experience. I really enjoyed spending my time at the school," said Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Dong Yuan.

Throughout the engagement, Sailors expressed their thoughts on the mission and the ship's performance. Words like "worthwhile" and "fulfilling" were most commonly heard.

"It was the most satisfaction I've had serving the U.S. Navy, because I felt as though my efforts had really made a difference in both the war on drugs and the war on terrorism," said Fire Controlman 2nd Class (SW) Aaron Nunn.