Floating Caribbean Diplomacy
By Heather Murphy, 10.21.04

Most military ships from World War II have long been retired. But, after 62 years repairing buoys and navigation aids in US waters, one old Coast Guard ship was given new life.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton brought the Coast Guard Cutter the Gentian out of retirement. Recently, 180-foot- long black buoy tender was given a fresh coat of white paint and a new homeport in Miami, Fla.

Looks weren’t all that changed for the ship. The Gentian would now be know as the Caribbean Support Tender. The crew would provide technical assistance and aid to foreign navy or maritime services. Gentian was ordered to engage in a new mission – international cooperation and security.

“After 9/11, there was a change in the American perspective of our borders and security issues,” crewmember Lt. j. g. Donnovan Williams said. “Our mission is in the interest of everyone involved.”

International Engagement
Funded by the Coast Guard, U.S. Army and State Department currently, Gentian works in the Caribbean and Latin America. Among the many resources provided, the crew offers logistics support, maintenance assistance and training to countries from Jamaica to Costa Rica. These efforts prepare local Navies or Coast Guards to operate together to save lives, interdict drugs and enforce laws.

Gentian’s crew also seizes boats of drug runners as part of the refurbishment program. The crew brings new life to the seized boats by repairing the hull, providing new fuel tanks and supplying communications equipment to the made over boats. These new high performance patrol boats are given to Caribbean maritime services to catch additional drug runners.

From his experience, Williams believes active coordination with our neighbors in the South directly benefits the US. He said that good relations with foreign countries ensures U.S. security.

International Crew
Relationships between countries grow every day on Gentian, even when the ship is not visiting a foreign port. Instead of a United States crew serving onboard, the ship is also home to sailors from seven other countries.

Onboard, both Spanish and English are spoken. Meals hail from Trinidad, Guyana or the Dominican Republic. The bridge team often includes an officer from the US, a navigator from the Bahamas, a lookout from Trinidad, an engineer from Guyana and a trainee from the Dominican Republic.

“It’s a great testament of the future and where the world should be,” Williams said.

Meals provide an example of international flavor. To celebrate a Panamanian holiday, crew members from that country served a traditional breakfast. That morning, the crew dined on a rich cream corn meal broth and fried yucca.

“You didn’t know what you were eating,” Williams said. “I don’t think anyone missed bacon and eggs that morning.”

The future for the Gentian
Gentian’s efforts were recently demonstrated during Haiti’s political upheaval in February 2004. After several years of Gentian-supplied aid, the Garde Cote, Haitian Coast Guard, operated independently as the only functioning government entity. Gentian brought fuel and fresh water throughout the upheaval, allowing the Garde Cote to conduct security patrols and provide aid.

In recent months, Gentian has been unable to fully assist U.S. partners. Faced with aging equipment and no new replacement parts, Gentian’s crew struggles to keep the ship running.

“Longterm, the Coast Guard is looking for a feasible platform to replace Gentian,” Williams said.

Short-term however, the Coast Guard fixes Gentian’s broken parts when possible. After several months of maintenance, Gentian will sail again in November on a training trip to Western Caribbean countries – Jamaica, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Even though lately the Gentian may spend more time in maintenance the ship’s impact was not lost on Williams.

As a child in Port Royal, Jamaica, Williams watched vessels from many different countries pull in and out of port. As he watched the ships steam out of sight, Williams said he dreamed of life onboard and the places those ships would visit.

“Growing up in Jamaica, I had aspirations to be on one of those ships and to serve in the U.S. Armed forces,” Williams said.

Years later, Williams’ childhood dreams came true as he found himself on Gentian’s bridge, navigating the waters in and out of foreign ports.

“I drove Gentian every time we visited Port Royal,” Williams said. “It was a proud moment.”