USCGC Forward was set to wrap a deployment in the Caribbean and was ported in Guantanamo Bay in order to onload fuel, supplies, and debrief the USCGC Tahoma prior to returning to home port. The Tahoma was set to take over operations in the area and the Forward was set to return home. In lieu of returning home, the Forward and her crew set sail to Haiti to initialize the U.S. response to the massive efforts that would eventually take place in the following weeks.
^"USCGC FORWARD (WMEC 911)". United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Defense Media Activity. Retrieved 6 April 2024.