MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Navy ship built in Marinette and named for Wisconsin’s largest city has returned to its home port after helping fight the cocaine trade.
Navy officials say the USS Milwaukee deployed last December to the Caribbean Sea. During the deployment, Milwaukee was credited with helping disrupt the movement of about 915 kilograms of cocaine, worth an estimated street value of $64 million.
“This was a great experience for the crew, many of whom this was their first deployment,” Cmdr. Brian Forster, commanding officer of Milwaukee, said in a news release.
“We were able to accomplish many great feats including disrupting drug trafficking, working with our allied naval partners, going through the Panama Canal and even crossing the equator. The crew that is returning is a very different crew that left months ago. They have seen many aspects of the world and different cultures including the cuisine. We will continue to grow, not just as Sailors, but as Americans and keep our Navy the strongest in the world.”
Milwaukee’s deployment also included joint military exercises with Jamaica, Martinique, and Ecuador.
Milwaukee returned to Mayport, Florida, on April 2.
Milwaukee is a Freedom-variant littoral combat ship. The Navy has plans to retire those ships, which were built at a cost of $4.5 billion.
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