The United States Coast Guard uses cutters and small boats on the water, and fixed- and rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft in the air. They also use a variety of firearms, including handguns, rifles and machine guns. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense, among other duties of coast guards elsewhere. ... An American-looking gaff cutter with a genoa jib set This French yawl has a gaff topsail set. ... Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each having two or more rotor blades. ...

Cutters

Originally, the Coast Guard used the term cutter in its traditional sense, as a type of small sailing ship. Today it officially uses the term for any vessel which has a permanently assigned crew and accommodations for the extended support of that crew, although informally this is held to mean any vessel of 65 foot or more in length.^[1]

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-hulled inflatable boat. Polar-class icebreakers (WAGB) carry an Arctic Survey Boat (ASB) and Landing Craft. The CGC Ahi is the last 87-foot cutter to be added to the Coast Guard fleet. Two RIBs at Castletown, Portland, England. ... USCG photo of USCG Polar Star Icebreaker (WAGB 10) The USCG Polar class of heavy icebreakers consists of three vessels, the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), the USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11), and the USCGC Healy (WAGB-20). ... US Coast Guard icebreakers near McMurdo Station, February 2002 Icebreaker Polarstern An icebreaker is a special purpose ship designed to move and navigate through ice-covered marine environments. ...

Currently, the Coast Guard is leasing five PC-179 coastal patrol ships from the U.S. Navy; two (including CGC Monsoon) operate from San Diego and three from Pascagoula, Mississippi. These vessels are used primarily for counterdrug patrols. ^[2] Nickname: Americas Finest City Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates: Country United States State California County San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders City Attorney Michael Aguirre City Council Scott Peters Kevin Faulconer Toni Atkins Tony Young Brian Maienschein Donna Frye Jim Madaffer Ben Hueso Area    - City 963. ... Pascagoula is a city located in Jackson County, Mississippi. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Any Coast Guard crew with officers or petty officers assigned has law-enforcement authority (14 USC Sec. 89) and can conduct armed boardings. For the band, see The Police. ...

378-foot High Endurance Cutter (WHEC) USCGC Hamilton, commissioned in 1967 (U.S. Coast Guard Photo)

• For a complete list of Cutters see: United States Coast Guard Cutter

• Polar-class icebreaker (WAGB): There are three WAGB's, all home ported in Seattle, Washington. Two are 399-foot icebreakers (the Polar Sea and the Polar Star), and one a 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).)

• USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30): The Mackinaw is a 240 foot heavy icebreaker built for operations on the North American Great Lakes and home ported at Cheboygan, Michigan.

• USCGC Eagle (WIX-327): The Eagle is home ported at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. It is used for training voyages for Coast Guard Academy cadets and Coast Guard officer candidates. The USCGC 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 (the Alex Haley, the Acushnet, and the Storis—all stationed in Alaska).

• Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB): There are 16 Juniper-class buoy tenders being commissioned.

USCG photo of USCGC Hamilton, WHEC-715 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... USCG photo of USCGC Hamilton, WHEC-715 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A Cutter is a United States Coast Guard vessel 65 feet in length or greater, having adequate accommodations for crew to live on board. ... USCG photo of USCG Polar Star Icebreaker (WAGB 10) The USCG Polar class of heavy icebreakers consists of three vessels, the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), the USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11), and the USCGC Healy (WAGB-20). ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King Incorporated December 2 1869 Mayor Greg Nickels (D) Area    - City 369. ... Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,824 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... USCGC Polar Sea is a United States Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker. ... The Polar Star is a United States Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker. ... The USCGC Healy is a research icebreaker put into commission in 1999 by the U.S. Coast Guard. ... USCG photo of USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) The High Endurance Cutter is the largest class of vessel in the United States Coast Guard, aside from the Polar Ice Breakers. ... Nickname: The Holy City, The Palmetto City, Chucktown, The Port City, Charlie O The C-Port City Motto: Aedes Mores Juraque Curat (She cares for her temples, customs, and rights) Location of Charleston in South Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35... Nickname: The Island City Location in the state of California and Alameda County County Alameda Mayor Beverly Johnson (D) Area    - City 59. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Nickname: Americas Finest City Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates: Country United States State California County San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders City Attorney Michael Aguirre City Council Scott Peters Kevin Faulconer Toni Atkins Tony Young Brian Maienschein Donna Frye Jim Madaffer Ben Hueso Area    - City 963. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Nickname: The Gathering Place Location within the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii Coordinates: Country United States State Hawaii County City and County of Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann Area    - City 105 mi² / 272. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30) is a 240 foot vessel built as a heavy ice-breaker for operations on the North American Great Lakes for the United States Coast Guard. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... Cheboygan is a city located in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... The USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) (ex-Horst Wessel) is a 295 barque used as a training cutter for members of the US Coast Guard. ... Welcome sign outside the front gate of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London. ... Nickname: The Whaling City Motto: MARE LIBERUM Coordinates: Country United States of America State Connecticut County New London Established 1646 (Pequot Plantation) Named 1658 (New London) Incorporated 1784 Mayor Beth Sabilla City Manager Martin Berliner Supt. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Horst Wessel in SA Uniform. ... A prize of war is generally military items from a war or battle, typically at sea, that the winning side can claim after they have either defeated the enemy or after the enemy has surrendered. ... The United States Coast Guards fleet contains numerous smaller vessels, and about three dozen large icebreakers, High Endurance cutters and Medium Endurance cutters. ... The United States Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley (WMEC-39) is a former U.S. Navy vessel that was recommissioned for Coast Guard duty on July 10, 1999. ... USCG Acushnet (WMEC-167) The USCG Acushnet is currently classed as a United States Coast Guard Medium Endurance Cutter. ... U.S. Coast Guard utility icebreaker STORIS during the run for a short-cut Northwest Passage prepares to send helicopters aloft on ice reconnaissance before proceeding eastward through Amundsen Gulf to Dolphin and Union Straits, Canadian Northwest Territory (July 23, 1957) The medium endurance cutter Storis is the vessel with... The seagoing buoy tender is a class of small U.S. Coast Guard cutters that were designed to serve multiple missions in the Great Lakes and the oceans of the world. ... The seagoing buoy tender is a class of small U.S. Coast Guard cutters that were designed to serve multiple missions in the Great Lakes and the oceans of the world. ...

Aircraft

A USCG HC-130 Hercules near Oahu

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. A United States Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules near Oahu, public domain photo from navy. ... A United States Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules near Oahu, public domain photo from navy. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ... A schematic diagram showing the operation of a turboprop engine. ... Dassault Falcon 20s at RIAT 2005. ... The HH-65 Dolphin is a MEDEVAC-capable short-range recovery (SSR) helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). ... The HH-60 Jayhawk is a twin-engine medium-range search and rescue (SAR) helicopter, based on the airframe of the UH-60 Black Hawk. ... The Agusta A109 is a helicopter manufactured by Agusta (now AgustaWestland) of Italy. ...

The Coast Guard flies five aircraft types:

• HC-130 Hercules
• HU-25 Falcon / Guardian ^[3]
• HH-60 Jayhawk ^[4]
• HH-65 Dolphin
• MH-68 Stingray, flown by the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) based in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Coast Guard is planning to purchase 36 CASA CN-235 from Spanish aircraft manufacturer Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) for medium range search. As of February 2, 2006, the first of the aircraft are under construction for delivery in early 2007. ^[5] The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ... Dassault Falcon 20s at RIAT 2005. ... The HH-60 Jayhawk is a twin-engine medium-range search and rescue (SAR) helicopter, based on the airframe of the UH-60 Black Hawk. ... The HH-65 Dolphin is a MEDEVAC-capable short-range recovery (SSR) helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). ... The Agusta A109 is a helicopter manufactured by Agusta (now AgustaWestland) of Italy. ... The CN-235 is a medium-range turbo-prop aircraft developed jointly between CASA in Spain and IPTN in Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. ... CASA Jungmann, built in 1957. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Coast Guard is also purchasing Bell Eagle Eye UAVs as part of the Deepwater program. ^[6] Specifications General Characteristics Crew: none Capacity: 200 lb (91 kg) payload Length: 17 ft 11 in (5. ... Unmanned Aerial Vehicle over Iraq. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

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. General aviation (abbr. ... Royal Navy search and rescue Westland Sea King helicopter Canadian search and rescue EH101 helicopter and Canadian Coast Guard ship For the TV series of this title, see Search and Rescue (TV series). ...

Boats

USCG motor life boat escorting the Spirit of Ontario I Fast Ferry into the port of Rochester, New York on 2004-08-08

A Coast Guard 25-foot Defender-class boat from Station Seattle enforces a security zone around a Washington State Ferry in Elliot Bay December 22, 2003.

The Coast Guard operates about 1,400 boats, defined as any vessel not designated as a cutter (traditionally less than 65 feet (20 meters) in length), 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). USCG patrol boat escorting the Spirit of Ontario I Fast Ferry into Rochester New York 2004-08-08 Cropped from [this wikipedia PD image. ... USCG patrol boat escorting the Spirit of Ontario I Fast Ferry into Rochester New York 2004-08-08 Cropped from [this wikipedia PD image. ... Spirit of Ontario I is a high-speed catamaran passenger-vehicle ferry currently operating an 82 nautical mile (96 km) service on Lake Ontario linking the ports of Rochester, New York and Toronto, Ontario. ... Nickname: The Flour City, The Flower City, The Worlds Image Center Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Mayor Robert Duffy Area    - City 37. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... Image File history File links 25_ft_Defender_Ii122603a. ... Image File history File links 25_ft_Defender_Ii122603a. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A foot (plural: feet) is any of several old units of distance or length, measuring around a quarter to a third of a meter. ... The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ...

The Coast Guard boat fleet includes:

• 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 (7.6-meter) boat, based on the commercial version of the 25-foot center-console Boston Whaler, suitable for work in inland waters, easily transportable by trailer. These are primarily used by Port Security Units for force protection in naval support areas abroad, as well as, ports of embarkation/debarkation in expeditionary areas. Most recently these boats and units were deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The durability, versatility, and mobility of these boats make them ideal for this type of operation.

• Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHI): a rigid-hulled inflatable boat, 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): A 7-meter (23-foot) launch that can be launched from a rear launching ramp, at speed.

• USCG Long Range Interceptor (LRI): An 11-meter (36-foot) high-speed launch that can be launched from the rear ramps of the larger Deepwater cutters.

• USCG Defender: A 25-foot (7.6 meter) high speed boat, for a variety of missions, including search and rescue, port security and constabulary duties. First introduced in 2003, the plan is to acquire 700 Defender class boats to replace nonstandard boats and platforms at Coast Guard stations.

On June 23, 2006 the Commandant of the Coast Guard announced ^[7] that the Coast Guard has signed a multi-year contract for 180 "Response Boat Medium" boats that will be delivered starting in 2008 to replace the UTB boats. These aluminum boats will be about 45 feet (13.7 meters) in length, have twin diesel engines (total 1650 HP), be self-righting, have four crew, six passenger capacity, be equipable with two .50 caliber machine guns, have an excellent fendering system, have a top speed of 42 knots, and be capable of towing a 100 ton vessel in eight foot seas. The Motor Life Boat (MLB) is an integeral part of a Coast Guard fleet, built to withstand the most severe conditions at sea. ... A USCG 41 ft (12 m) UTB underway. ... U.S. Coast Guard 38 Deployable Pursuit Boat (DPB) U.S. Coast Guard 38 Deployable Pursuit Boat (DPB) getting some air. ... TANB-21. ... U.S. Coast Guard 25 ft (8 m) Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB): (AKA The Guardian) The 25 ft (8 m) Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB): (AKA The Guardian) is a twin outboard, open deck, all weather, high performance, moderately armed platform capable of operating in inner harbor/near shore... Boston Whaler outward bound in Boston Harbor, 2002. ... // Overview A US Coast Guard PSU TPSB guarding th USS John F. Kennedy in the Middle East . Coast Guard Port Security Units are elite deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the... Two RIBs at Castletown, Portland, England. ... Short Range Prosecutor in use The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Short Range Prosecutor is a 7 metre, high speed launch designed to be launched from cutters, at speed, from a rear launching ramp. ... The USCG Long Range Interceptor is an 11 metre high speed launch designed to be launched from cutters, at speed, from a rear launching ramp. ... A Coast Guard 25-foot defender class boat from Station Seattle enforces a security zone around a Washington State Ferry in Elliot Bay Dec. ... Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area, such as mountains, desert or forest (Wilderness search and rescue), or at sea... Port security in the U.S. is handled by the Coast Guard. ... Constabulary may have several definitions. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Commandant of the US Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the US Coast Guard. ...

Small arms

From 1986 until 2006, Coast Guardsmen on patrol were armed with Beretta M9 9 mm pistols. The Coast Guard has transitioned to the .40 S&W caliber SIG-Sauer P229R DAK, completing the changeover as of April 2006. Other small arms include the M16A2 rifle and M4 Carbine variant, as well as the Remington 870 police magnum riot shotgun, from which the Coast Guard employs both lethal and non-lethal rounds. The Coast Guard recently replaced the M60 Machine gun with the FN M240 machine gun, which is typically mounted on vessels, aircraft, or used in shoreside machine-gun emplacements. Many Coast Guard units are also equipped with the .50 caliber M2 machine gun. Weapons above .50 caliber are considered "weapons systems", rather than "small arms". ^[8] 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Logo of Pietro Beretta This article is about a firearm manufacturer; for the car, see Chevrolet Beretta. ... The M9 pistol The M9 pistol is a pistol of the U.S. military adopted in the 1980s. ... ball and hollowpoint 9mm Luger rounds are popular handgun ammunition. ... From left to right: .50 Action Express, .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, 9 mm Luger Parabellum, .22 Long Rifle. ... The Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG)-Sauer P226 is a full-sized, service type pistol originally chambered for 9 mm Luger. ... M16 is also the Eagle Nebula in astronomy. ... The M4 Carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. ... US Air Force issue Remington 870 known as the M870. ... The M60 (formally the United States Machine Gun, Caliber 7. ... M240B pictured Caliber: 7. ... This article is about the . ...

Communications

Coast Guard radio stations cover a wide geographical area using both very high frequency, high frequency, and medium frequency radios. There are eight major radio stations covering long-range transmissions and an extensive network of VHF radio stations along the nation's coastline and inland rivers. The United States Coast Guard is the seventh-biggest user of radio spectrum in the United States. ... Very high frequency (VHF) is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. ... HF or Hf might be an acronym or abbreviation for: High frequency Radio hafnium, a chemical element the chemical formula for Hydrofluoric acid Historisk-filosofisk fakultet, abbr. ... MF, Mf, or mf could be an abbreviation for: Medium frequency mezzo-forte mossy fiber (in neuroscience) Multi-Frequency (in telephony) motherfucker Thousand Feet (MF) (an IT term for cable length; based on roman numeral M for Thousand and F for Feet) Mainframe M/F (a novel by Anthony Burgess...

The OMEGA navigation system and the LORAN-C transmitters outsid the USA were run until 1994 also by the United States Coast Guard. LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is a terrestrial navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters that use the time interval between radio signals received from three or more stations to determine the position of a ship or aircraft. ...

See also

See the DEEPWATER Project

• Integrated Deepwater System Program

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Notes

1. ^ USCG Regulations. Chapter 10. Accessed December 11, 2006.
2. ^ PA3 Brian Leshak, "CG Leases Navy Ships, Fights Drug War". Coast Guard Magazine 2/2006, pp. 32–33).
3. ^ The HU-25 at GlobalSecurity.com
4. ^ The HH-60 at GlobalSecurity.com
5. ^ CASA CN 235-300M on the USCG official Web site
6. ^ Bell Eagle Eye HV-911 on the USCG official Web site
7. ^ 2006 OPM Federal Human Capital Survey (All Hands Email)
8. ^ PA2 John Edwards and PA1 Kimberly Smith, PADET Atlantic City. "Learning to Shoot All Over Again". Coast Guard Magazine, Issue 2, 2006, pp. 4–19.