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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. USCG Regulations . Chapter 10. Accessed December 11 , 2006 . 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 Icebreaker s (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. Currently, the Coast Guard is leasing five PC-179 Coastal Patrol Ships from the U.S. Navy; two (including ''USCGC Monsoon'' ) operate from San Diego and three from Pascagoula , Mississippi . These vessels are used primarily for counterdrug patrols. PA3 Brian Leshak, "CG Leases Navy Ships, Fights Drug War". ''Coast Guard Magazine'' 2/2006, pp. 32–33). Any Coast Guard crew with officers or petty officers assigned has Law-enforcement authority (14 USC Sec. 89) and can conduct armed boardings. '', commissioned in 1967 (U.S. Coast Guard Photo)]]
AIRCRAFT The Coast Guard owns about 210 aircraft. Fixed-wing aircraft, such as ( HC-130 Hercules Turboprop s 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. The Coast Guard flies five aircraft types:
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 . CASA CN 235-300M on the USCG official Web site The Coast Guard is also purchasing Bell Eagle Eye UAV s as part of the Deepwater program. Bell Eagle Eye HV-911 on the USCG official Web site 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. BOATS '' Fast Ferry into the port of Rochester, New York on 2004-08-08 ]] , 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). The Coast Guard boat fleet includes:
:The Coast Guard planned to reduce the inventory of Boston Whalers because of the lack of interoperable spare parts. On Friday, July 13th, the General Services Administration approved the transfer of 10 Coast Guard boats to the Army in Iraq. The boats, 24' and 27' Boston Whalers with trailers, had an original acquisition cost of more than $800,000. The Army is looking for approximately 55 Riverine or Patrol style boats to conduct water interdiction, river denial and island clearance missions, troop transport and insertion on a regular basis; the Coast Guard is providing the Army with the Boston Whalers and one Ambar boat, a patrol type vessel. U.S. General Service Administration. "Boats Transferred to Iraq." http://contacts.gsa.gov/graphics/insite/fas/GSS_Newsletter_Aug_07_Final_8_27_07.doc, accessed September 4, 2007
On June 23 , 2006 the Commandant Of The Coast Guard announced 2006 OPM Federal Human Capital Survey (All Hands Email) 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. 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". 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. 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 current communication system is being replaced by Rescue 21 . Rescue 21 is an advanced Maritime Command, Control, And Communications ( C3 ) system. The OMEGA navigation system and the LORAN -C transmitters outside the USA were run until 1994 also by the United States Coast Guard. SEE ALSO NOTES |
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