U.S. Coast Station Marathon
personnel aboard a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft - Law
Enforcement (SPCLE) boat interdicts a makeshift migrant
vessel approximately 20 miles offshore of Marathon, Florida
as a Border Patrol boat crew stands ready to assist.
The migrants are then transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo
and another Homeland for repatriation.
Migrant interdiction is one of the 11 statutory missions
assigned to the Coast Guard by Congress, giving the military
service the authority to take the lead role in the ongoing
and historic migrant surge.
The SPCLE features three Mercury Verado
275hp outboard motors, a zero to plane time under three
seconds, and a top speed of more than 60 miles per hour. The
fully enclosed heated and air conditioned cabin, with as
many as six shock mitigating seats, reduces crew fatigue and
allows operations in heavier seas. With a forward gunner’s
station and increased operational range, the 33-foot SPCLE
is an ideal law enforcement platform.
U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty
Officer Third Class Ian Gray February 21, 2023
