The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Thetis returned to homeport in Key West, Fla., on Friday after 75 days on patrol helping safeguard and return migrants and stopping drug smugglers.

Thetis deployed in support of Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast and Operation Vigilant Sentry while patrolling the Windward Passage and South Florida Straits.

During deployment, Thetis:

•Captured 44 Cuban migrants who were attempting to reach the U.S. unlawfully by sea.

•Cared for and repatriated 197 Haitian migrants after they were transferred aboard from Coast Guard Cutter Valiant.

•Helped stop two suspected drug smugglers and seize contraband after a transfer with Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos.

•During a port-of-call in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic, crew members volunteered to help the Fundación Casa Niños Felices, a local orphanage for Dominican children. Thetis crew members assembled fitness and sports equipment, which upgraded the orphanage’s recreational facility and created a long-lasting positive impact.

“This patrol was filled with diverse operations that highlighted the importance of the U.S. Coast Guard operating in the Windward Pass and South Florida Straits,” said Cmdr. Gavin Garcia, commanding officer of Thetis. “I could not be more pleased with the performance of the men and women on board and their ability to overcome adversity, resulting in a resoundingly successful patrol.”

Thetis is a 270-foot, Famous-class medium endurance cutter with a crew of 100. The cutter’s primary missions are counter-narcotics and migrant interdiction operations, protect living marine resources, and search and rescue in support of U.S. Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.