Coast Guard cutter Dallas returning Tuesday

The Coast Guard cutter Dallas will return to its Charleston home port Tuesday morning after a four-month deployment that included bringing humanitarian supplies to the war-affected Republic of Georgia.

The assistance was part of a far-ranging mission that included the Gulf of Guinea off West and Central Africa, the Mediterranean and the Black seas.

"Many Americans do not realize the role of the Coast Guard in representing America's maritime interests throughout the world," Capt. Robert Wagner, commanding officer of the Dallas said. "Deployments like this showcase how America's naval services work cooperatively to achieve what's important to our nation."

The Dallas was deployed under the command of the Navy's 6th Fleet based in Naples, Italy, and carried out multiple missions. The vessel was just the second U.S. military ship to bring humanitarian assistance supplies to Georgia following this summer's conflict with Russia.

In that mission, the crew loaded more than 76,000 pounds of hygiene products, infant care, and food items onto the ship's flight deck in Souda Bay, Crete, and delivered it to Batumi, Georgia, Aug. 27 for further distribution to those affected by the fighting.