United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the coast guard of the United States. One of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and the smallest armed service of the United States, it has a broad and important role in homeland security, law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental pollution response and the maintenance of intercoastal and offshore aids to navigation (ATON). It also lays claim of being the United States' oldest continuous seagoing service.

Ships and aircraft

The U.S. Coast Guard uses cutters and small boats on the water, and fixed- and rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft in the air.

Related Topics:
Cutter - Helicopter - Air

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Cutters

A cutter is any Coast Guard vessel 65 feet (20 meters) in length or greater, with accommodations for crew to live on board. Larger cutters (over 180 feet (55 m) in length) are controlled by Area Commands (Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). Smaller cutters come under control of District Commands. Cutters usually carry a motor surf boat and/or a rigid hull inflatable boat. Polar-class icebreakers (WAGB) carry an Arctic Survey Boat (ASB) and Landing Craft.

Related Topics:
''Polar''-class - Icebreaker

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Any Coast Guard crew has law-enforcement authority and can conduct armed boardings.

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• Polar-Class Icebreaker (WAGB): There are 3 WAGB's, all homeported in Seattle,
  Washington. Two are Polar Class 399' (Polar Sea and Polar Star) and one newer 420-foot icebreaker, the Healy.
• High Endurance Cutter (WHEC): These are 378 feet along the waterline. There are 12 WHECs (Homeports are: Charleston, South Carolina (2), Seattle, Washington (2), Alameda, California (4), San Diego, California (2), and Honolulu, Hawaii (2).)
• Inland Icebreaker (WLBB): USCGC MacKinaw (WLBB-30) scheduled for launch on April 2, 2005 at the Marinette, Wisconsin Shipyards
• Training Barque Eagle (WIX): The Eagle is homeported at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. It is used for training voyages for Coast Guard midshipmen. The Eagle was built in Germany as the Horst-Wessel and was seized by the United States as a prize of war in 1945.
• Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC): These are mostly 210-foot and 270-foot cutters, although three "mature" class cutters fall into the WMEC category (Alex Haley, Acushnet, and Storis—all stationed in Alaska)
• Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB): There are 16 Juniper-class buoy tenders being commissioned.
• Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM)
• Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)
• Icebreaking Tug (WTGB)
• River Buoy Tender (WLR)
• Patrol Boat (WPB)
• Inland Buoy Tender (WLI)
• Coastal Patrol Boat (WPB)
• Small Harbor Tug (WYTL)

Aircraft

The Guard owns about 210 aircraft. Fixed-wing aircraft, such as (HC-130 Hercules turboprops and HU-25 Guardian jets) operate from Air Stations on long-duration missions. Helicopters (HH-65 Dolphin, HH-60 Jayhawk and MH-68 Stingray) operate from Air Stations, Air Facilities, and flight-deck equipped Cutters, and can rescue people or intercept smuggling vessels.

Related Topics:
HC-130 Hercules - HU-25 Guardian - HH-65 Dolphin - HH-60 Jayhawk - MH-68 Stingray

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The Coast Guard flies five aircraft types:

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• HC-130 Hercules
• HU-25 Guardian
• HH-60 Jayhawk http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/hh-60j.htm
• HH-65 Dolphin
• MH-68 Stingray US Coast Guard HITRON: http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/HITRON/HITRON%20Internet%20Content/Welcome_Page.htm

In addition to regular Coast Guard aircraft, privately-owned general aviation aircraft are used by Coast Guard Auxiliarists for patrols and search-and-rescue missions.

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Boats

The Coast Guard operates about 1,400 boats, defined as vessels less than 65 feet (20 meters) long, which generally operate near shore and on inland waterways. The most common is 41 feet (12.5 meters) long, of which the Guard has more than 200; the shortest is 12 feet (4 meters).

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• Arctic Survey Boat (ASB)
• Motor Life Boat (MLB)
• Utility Boat (UTB)
• Deployable Pursuit Boat (DPB)
• Aids to Navigation Boats (TANB/BUSL/ANB/ANB)
• Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB): 25-foot boat, suitable for work in inland waters, easily transportable by trailer.
• Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHI) Rigid inflatable boats are deep-V glass-reinforced plastic hulls wrapped in a multi-compartment buoyancy tube. They are powered by a gasoline outboard motor or an inboard/outboard diesel engine. The RHI can be easily deployed from a cutter with a four-point bridle for davit lifting and lowering. The RHI's portability and ruggedness allow it to be used on many kinds of missions.
• USCG Short Range Prosecutor (SRP): 7-metre launch that can be launched from a rear launching ramp, at speed
• USCG Long Range Interceptor (LRI): 11-metre high-speed launch that can be launched from the rear ramps of the larger Deepwater cutters.

The Coast Guard recently introduced a standard search-and-rescue (SAR) and response boat, the is 25-foot Defender-class boat, to replace nonstandard boats and platforms at Coast Guard stations. The Defender class can go faster than 40 knots (75 km/h), mount an M-60 or M-240 machine gun in the bow, and be transported by a C-130 Hercules aircraft (or, more prosaically, a boat trailer.) The Defender class is also a rigid hull inflatable boat, with twin outboard motors.

Related Topics:
''Defender''-class boat - M-60 - M-240 - Machine gun - C-130 Hercules

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