By Hasan Huseyin Kulaoglu
ISTANBUL (AA) – A US Coast Guard cutter passed through the Bosphorus strait late Tuesday in support of NATO operations in the region.
The USCGC Hamilton (WMSL-753), whose length is 127 meters (418 feet) and height is 43 meters (140 feet), was heading to the Black Sea, in what will be the first visit there by a US Coast Guard Cutter since 2008.
According to a statement by the US 6th fleet, the last US Coast Guard Cutter to visit the Black Sea, USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716), sailed there twice, in 1995 and 2008.
During the USCGC Hamilton’s passage in the Bosphorus, it was escorted by boats from the Turkish Coast Guard and maritime division of the Istanbul Police.
Russian officials later issued a statement saying their Black Sea forces were monitoring the Hamilton during its time in the waters.
*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk
