Coast Guard Cutter Back From The Frozen North

Right on time, the Coast Guard cutter Morro Bay chugged her way up the Thames River to moor opposite the training ship Eagle at Fort Trumbull on Tuesday morning.

The Morro Bay was , where she joined the Ninth Coast Guard District in icebreaking duties. The 140-foot vessel began taking part in Operation Coal Shovel on Dec. 10 and spent the winter clearing shipping lanes in the southern portion of Lake Huron, the St. Clair and Detroit River systems, Lakes Erie and Ontario, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. The crew also had the distinction of on his birthday.

A small group of family members waited on the dock for the cutter to sidle up to the dock. Crew members attached mooring lines as well as hookups for water and fuel. The ship’s commander, Douglas Wyatt, briefly came off the ship to greet his wife and two-year-old son. Other crew members were also permitted to see family before returning to secure the ship and do a mission debrief with Joseph A. Servidio, chief of staff of the First Coast Guard District.

Shannon Romano, of Groton, was on hand with her daughters Adrianna, 17, and Abby, 6. She said her husband Steven has been in the Coast Guard for 12 years. She said they were able to communicate to some extent, but not while the ship was underway. She said Abby learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels and tie her shoes while Steven was away.

“They’re not usually gone this long,” she said. “You get into a routine after almost half a year gone.”

Casey Timothy, also of Groton, to see her husband Jeremy with Hanna Mir, Jeremy’s 14-year-old niece. She said some of the crew was able to make a brief sojourn back to New England, driving from Cleveland in a government vehicle. Casey said Jeremy has been in the Coast Guard for seven years and that she was pleased to have him back.

“It’s been interesting,” she said. “He’s had prior service, so he’s had 11 years in, and this is the first time he’s been away that long.”