U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell (WHEC 719) crewmembers departed the port of Tubruq, Libya on June 2, 2009 after two days of professional engagements intended to promote the growing relationship between the United States and Libya.

Boutwell is the first U.S. military ship to visit Libya in more than 40 years. During their stay, the Boutwell crew participated in a series of professional presentations, tours, and receptions.
Boutwell's visit to Tubruq marked the sixth and final of their theater security cooperation (TSC) engagements since deploying from Alameda, California on January 12.

On a six-month around-the-world deployment, Boutwell has visited Malaysia, India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Maldives in an effort to broaden capabilities and share common practices among counterpart maritime, coast guard, and naval forces.

During Boutwell's port visit in Tubruq, the ship provided tours for members of regional military and media. The ship also hosted presentations to local Libyan officials on maritime topics such as search and rescue, shipboard damage control, and automated identification systems; an international maritime organization initiative intended to share positional information with maritime agencies and ships at sea.

Boutwell represents the U.S. Coast Guard's ongoing commitment to TSC initiatives around the globe and was most recently attached to the USS Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet area of operations.

Boutwell is one of 12 U.S. Coast Guard high endurance cutters with missions that range from drug interdiction to fisheries law enforcement and search and rescue from the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea south to the Eastern Pacific coast of Central and South America.