USCGC Dauntless ( WMEC - 624 ) The USCGC " Dauntless " ( WMEC - 624 ) is a United States Coast Guard cutter , commissioned in 1968 and still on active duty . She is the first cutter in Coast Guard history to hold this name . Like all ships in the " Reliance " class of 210 - foot medium - endurance cutters , " Dauntless " is named for an aspirational trait , in this case meaning to " persevere fearlessly . " This trait is further reflected in the ship ' s motto " Sin Miedo " which , in Spanish , means " Without Fear . " Since her commissioning , " Dauntless " was homeported in Miami , Florida , until 1993 , when she was decommissioned and entered Major Maintenance Availability ( MMA ) at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay , Maryland . After 18 months and at a total cost of $ 21 million , the ship was completely overhauled from stem to stern . The major renovations included the addition of an engine exhaust stack aft of the pilot house , a complete powerplant overhaul , installation of new navigation and communications systems , and extensive habitability improvements . After MMA , " Dauntless " was assigned to her new homeport of Galveston , Texas . " Dauntless " has earned a reputation as one of the nation ' s premier " drug busters . " " Dauntless " became the first cutter in history to seize one million pounds of marijuana , an accomplishment signified by a large gold marijuana leaf painted on her superstructure . During her Coast Guard career , " Dauntless " has over 85 illegal narcotics " busts " to her credit , more than any other cutter . She has also played a leading role in search and rescue ( SAR ) operations . During the mass Cuban exodus ( see Mariel boatlift ) between April 23 and May 13 , 1980 , over 25 vessels were towed to safety , eight persons adrift at sea were rescued , and an astonishing 55 SAR cases were conducted . The ship ' s most - publicized case occurred during January 1986 , when " Dauntless " was first to arrive and served as on - scene commander ( until relieved by USCGC " Dallas " ) for the response to the space shuttle " Challenger " disaster . On November 24 , 1995 , Dauntless rescued 578 migrants from a grossly overloaded 75 - foot coastal freighter , the largest number of migrants rescued from a single vessel in Coast Guard history . Since relocating to Galveston , " Dauntless " has proudly performed her primary missions of law enforcement , alien migrant interdiction operations , protection of marine resources , SAR , and more recently homeland defense in the Gulf of Mexico . Operational highlights include the four " drug busts " resulting in over 3 , 000 pounds of illegal drugs seized ; and the September 2001 rescue of a young commercial mariner from Louisiana who had fallen overboard from the vessel on which he was working , and was successfully located and returned to his ship . Since the events of September 11 , 2001 , " Dauntless " has conducted several patrols dedicated to enhancing port security in the Gulf of Mexico . The cutter ' s awards include the Coast Guard Unit Commendation ( 2 ) , the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation ( 5 ) , the Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation , the Coast Guard " E " ribbon ( 7 ) , the National Defense Service Medal ( 3 ) , and the Humanitarian Service Medal ( 3 ) . President Ronald Reagan visited the cutter on November 17 , 1982 and awarded her the Coast Guard Unit Commendation . It was the first time in 19 years that a President visited a Coast Guard cutter . She has appeared in two motion pictures : " The Island " , in which ( portraying the fictitious USCGC " New Hope " ) she was boarded and seized by Caribbean pirates , and in the James Bond film " Licence to Kill " .