The Coast Guard decided to design all its new cutters, even its smallest, to be able to accommodate mixed sex crews. The Sentinels, and the smaller Marine Protectors, have berthing areas of various sizes, to make this possible. A Sentinel's complement is 22, and they are armed with a 25 mm Bushmaster autocannon, that can be operated remotely, and four crew-served fifty caliber Browning machine guns. The cutters are equipped with a sophisticated modern sensor suite, that can share data with other vessels. The Sentinel class is equipped with a stern launching ramp, that can deploy and retrieve the vessel's 7-meter high-speed jet-boat, even when the vessels are underway. Only a single crewmember is required to remain on deck to deploy or retrieve the jet-boat.
One of the complement of this unregistered vessel, apprehended by the Heriberto Hernandez, turned out to have an outstanding arrest warrant for murder.
In January, 2019, the Heriberto Hernandez apprehended a small vessel with 35 people aboard they determined were intending to illegally enter the United States.[6] Near the vessel they also found a floating backpack containing $3.6 million worth of heroin. 27 of the vessel's occupants were turned over to the Dominican Republic, while the remaining 8 were turned over to the US Justice Department.
On January 5, 2021, while patrolling the Mona Passage, the Heriberto Hernandez sighted a suspicious vessel.[7][8] The unregistered vessel, which seemed to be home-built, which had three men aboard, was found north of Desecheo Island. The crew of the Heriberto Hernandez deemed it unseaworthy, and took the men aboard.[9][10] Biometric scans determined one of the men had an arrest warrant for a double murder in San Juan. The cutter rendezvoused with a vessel from the Dominican Navy, to pass over the other two men, who claimed to be Dominican citizens, and then handed over custody of the suspect to officials of the US Marshall Service in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
^ abc"Bollinger delivers FRC Heriberto Hernandez". Marine Log. 2015-07-30. Retrieved 2015-08-05. The Coast Guard took delivery on July 30, 2015 in Key West, FL, and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Puerto Rico during October, 2015.
^ ab"FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". Defense Industry Daily. 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03. All of these boats will be named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes, who distinguished themselves in USCG or military service. The first 25 have been named, but only 8 have been commissioned...
^"U.S. Coast Guard Catches Wanted Fugitive in High Seas Intercept". Maritime Executive. 2021-01-11. Archived from the original on 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-01-12. On Tuesday afternoon, a Customs and Border Patrol aircraft spotted a suspect vessel about 40 nautical miles to the north of Desecheo Island, outside of U.S. territorial seas. Desecheo is an uninhabited wildlife refuge located near the midpoint of the Mona Channel, the strait between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic - an area known for smuggling activity.
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