Equipment of the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

uses cutters and small boats on the water, and fixed- and rotary wing (helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

s) aircraft in the air. The Coast Guard employs various small arms including handguns, shotguns, rifles, and machine guns.

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, and includes only and all vessels of 65 feet (19.8 m) or more in length.

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

Rigid-hulled inflatable boat

A rigid-hulled inflatable boat, or rigid-inflatable boat is a light-weight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale. The design is stable and seaworthy...

. Polar-class

USCG Polar Class Icebreaker

USCG Polar-capable heavy icebreakers consist of three vessels, USCGC Polar Star , USCGC Polar Sea , and USCGC Healy . Polar Star and Polar Sea comprise the Polar class, while Healy is a larger, more modern design and constitutes an entirely different polar-capable icebreaker class...

icebreaker

Icebreaker

An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...

s (WAGB) carry an Arctic Survey Boat (ASB) and Landing Craft.

Currently, the Coast Guard is leasing three 179-foot Cyclone-class coastal patrol ships

Cyclone class patrol ship

The Cyclone class patrol ships are a class of United States Navy coastal patrol boats. Most of these ships were launched between 1992 and 1994....

from the U.S. Navy. All are homeported in Pascagoula

Pascagoula, Mississippi

Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...

, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

. These vessels are used primarily for counterdrug patrols.

Any Coast Guard crew with officers or petty officers assigned has law-enforcement authority (14 USC Sec. 89) and can conduct armed boardings.

For a complete list of Cutters see: United States Coast Guard Cutter
United States Coast Guard Cutter
Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...

and List of United States Coast Guard cutters

Polar-class icebreaker (WAGB)
USCG Polar Class Icebreaker
USCG Polar-capable heavy icebreakers consist of three vessels, USCGC Polar Star , USCGC Polar Sea , and USCGC Healy . Polar Star and Polar Sea comprise the Polar class, while Healy is a larger, more modern design and constitutes an entirely different polar-capable icebreaker class...

: There are three WAGB's, all home ported in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, Washington. Two are 399 feet (122 m) icebreakers (the Polar Sea and the Polar Star), and one newer 420 feet (128 m) icebreaker, the Healy.

National Security Cutter
National Security Cutter
The United States Coast Guard National Security Cutter , also known as the Legend class and Maritime Security Cutter, Large, is one design among several new cutter designs developed as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program....

(WMSL)

High Endurance Cutter (WHEC)
High endurance cutter
The designation of High endurance cutter was created in 1965 when the United States Coast Guard adopted its own designation system. High endurance cutters encompassed its largest cutters previously designated by the United States Navy as Coast Guard gunboats , Coast Guard destroyer escorts , and...

: These are Hamilton class cutter
Hamilton class cutter
The Hamilton class cutter was the largest class of vessel in the United States Coast Guard until replaced by the National Security Cutter, aside from the Polar Ice Breakers. The hull classification symbol is prefixed WHEC...

s, 378 feet (115 m) along the waterline. There are 12 WHECs (homeports are: Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

(2); Seattle, Washington (2); Alameda
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

(3); Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...

(1); San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

(2); and Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

(2).)

USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30)
USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30)
USCGC Mackinaw is a vessel built as a heavy icebreaker for operations on the North American Great Lakes for the United States Coast Guard. IMO number: 9271054...

: The Mackinaw is a 240 feet (73 m) heavy icebreaker built for operations on the North American Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

and home ported at Cheboygan
Cheboygan, Michigan
Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....

, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

.

USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)
USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)
The is a barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. She is one of only two active commissioned sailing vessels in American military service, the other being the USS Constitution....

: The Eagle is home ported at the Coast Guard Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy
Founded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy is the military academy of the United States Coast Guard. Located in New London, Connecticut, it is the smallest of the five federal service academies...

in New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....

, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. It is used for training voyages for Coast Guard Academy cadets and Coast Guard officer candidates. The USCGC Eagle was built in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

as the Horst Wessel
Horst Wessel
Horst Ludwig Wessel was a German Nazi activist who was made a posthumous hero of the Nazi movement following his violent death in 1930...

, and was taken by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

as a war reparation in 1945.

Offshore Patrol Cutter
Offshore Patrol Cutter
The United States Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter isone design among several new cutter designs developed as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program....

(Still in development)

Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
USCG Medium Endurance Cutter
The United States Coast Guard's cutter fleet contains numerous smaller vessels, and about three dozen large icebreakers, High endurance cutters, Medium Endurance cutters, and three National Security Cutters. There are two legacy vessels, the Alex Haley and the Acushnet.There are 13 vessels in the...

: These are mostly 210 feet (64 m) and 270 feet (82 m) cutters, although two "mature" class cutters fall into the WMEC category (the Alex Haley
USCGC Alex Haley (WMEC-39)
The United States Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley is a former U.S. Navy vessel that was recommissioned for Coast Guard duty on July 10, 1999. It was first commissioned as the USS Edenton , an Edenton-class salvage and rescue ship on January 23, 1971...

, the Acushnet,all stationed in Alaska).

Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB)
USCG Seagoing Buoy Tender
The Seagoing Buoy Tender is a type of U.S. Coast Guard cutter originally designed to service aids to navigation, throughout the waters of the United States, and wherever U.S. shipping interests require. The Coast Guard has maintained a fleet of seagoing buoy tenders dating back to its origins in...

: There are 16 Juniper-class buoy tenders being commissioned.

USCG Coastal Buoy Tender
USCG Coastal Buoy Tender
The United States Coast Guard commissioned a new Keeper-class of coastal buoy tenders in the 1990s that are 175 feet in length and named after Lighthouse keepers.Keeper Class cutters serve the Coast Guard in a variety of missions...

USCG Katmai Bay class icebreaking tug

156' Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (Still in development)

110′ Island Class Cutter (WPB): There are currently 41 110′ patrol boats in active duty service in the U.S. Coast Guard. Eight additional 110' patrol boats were extended to 123 feet (37 m) but structural issues developed shortly after these conversions and the cutters were deemed unsafe to operate. The Coast Guard is now seeking a $100 million refund from Bollinger Shipyards.

87' Marine Protector Class Cutter(WPB): This is a class of 87 feet (27 m) patrol boats.

Island class patrol boat

Aircraft

The Coast Guard operates about 210 aircraft. Fixed-wing aircraft, such as (Lockheed HC-130 Hercules turboprop

Turboprop

A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...

s and Dassault HU-25A Guardian

Dassault Falcon 20

The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet and was the first of a family of business jets built by Dassault Aviation.-Design and development:...

jets) operate from Air Stations on long-duration missions. Helicopters (Aérospatiale HH-65 Dolphin

Aérospatiale Dauphin

The Aérospatiale SA 360 Dauphin was a single-engine French utility helicopter developed as a replacement for Aérospatiale's Alouette III and was to be called the "Business Alouette", in the early 1970s and to fill a gap in the company's product line in the six to ten-seat helicopter category...

, Sikorsky HH-60J Jayhawk

Sikorsky H-60

Sikorsky H-60 can refer to any of the following:-* Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk: The basic military utility helicopter used by the US Army.* Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk: US Navy variant for search and rescue, maritime patrol, ASW, all-weather and day/night....

, and Agusta MH-68 Stingray

Agusta A109

The AgustaWestland AW109 is a light-weight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter built by the Anglo-Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland...

) operate from Air Stations, Air Facilities, and flight-deck equipped cutters, and can rescue people or intercept smuggling vessels. Some special MH- designated helicopters are armed with guns and some are equipped with armor to protect against small arms fire.

The Coast Guard flies several aircraft types:

27 Lockheed HC-130 Hercules
35 Dassault HU-25A Guardian
Dassault Falcon 20
The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet and was the first of a family of business jets built by Dassault Aviation.-Design and development:...
35 Sikorsky HH-60J Jayhawk
HH-60 Jayhawk
The Sikorsky HH-60J Jayhawk is a multi-mission, twin-engine, medium-range helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard for search and rescue, law enforcement, military readiness and marine environmental protection missions...
102 Aérospatiale HH-65 Dolphin
HH-65 Dolphin
The Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engined, single main rotor, MEDEVAC-capable Search and Rescue helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard...
8 Agusta MH-68 Stingray
Agusta A109
The AgustaWestland AW109 is a light-weight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter built by the Anglo-Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland...

- were flown by the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron
Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron
The Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron is an armed U.S. Coast Guard helicopter squadron specializing in Airborne Use of Force and drug-interdiction missions. It is based at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida....

(HITRON) based in Jacksonville, Florida until late 2007.
11 CASA HC-144A Ocean Sentry (testing and integration)
1 Gulfstream C-37A
Gulfstream V
The Gulfstream V is a business jet aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace. It is also used by the US military under the designation C-37A. The G500 and G550 are improved versions which are currently in production...

as a VIP transport for high ranking Coast Guard and Homeland Security officials.
1 Bombardier C-143A
Bombardier Challenger 600
The Bombardier Challenger 600 series is a family of business jets designed by Bill Lear and produced first by Canadair until that company was bought by Bombardier Aerospace in 1986.-Development:...

as a Medium Range Command and Control Aircraft (MRC2A)
An unspecified number of RG-8A Condors
Schweizer SGM 2-37
The Schweizer SGM 2-37 is a two-place, side-by-side, fixed gear, low wing motor glider.A total of twelve were produced between 1982 and 1988, including nine for the United States Air Force Academy, which designated it the TG-7A...

(thought to be two).

The Coast Guard is planning to purchase 36 CASA CN-235

CASA CN-235

The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engined transport plane that was jointly developed by CASA of Spain and IPTN of Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Its primary military roles include maritime patrol, surveillance, and air transport...

from Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

aircraft manufacturer Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA

Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA

Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA , was a Spanish aircraft manufacturer. It became EADS CASA the Spanish branch of EADS in 1999, but was absorbed by Airbus Military in 2009...

(CASA) for medium range search. As of 26 February 2008, 3 aircraft have been delivered for testing and integration with a further 5 planned. During testing, one aircraft was pulled into active duty for the search downed Air Force pilots, in which the aircraft demonstrated its capabilities.

The Coast Guard is also purchasing Bell Eagle Eye

Bell Eagle Eye

-References:* This article contains material that originally came from the web article by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.-External links:** * ....

UAVs

Unmanned aerial vehicle

An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...

as part of the Deepwater

Integrated Deepwater System Program

The Integrated Deepwater System Program is the 25-year program to replace all or much of the United States Coast Guard's equipment, including aircraft, ships, and logistics and command and control systems...

program. but this has been Cancelled.

In addition to regular Coast Guard aircraft, privately-owned general aviation

General aviation

General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

aircraft are used by Coast Guard Auxiliarists for patrols and search-and-rescue missions.

Boats

The Coast Guard operates about 1,400 boats, defined as any vessel 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 m) long, of which the Guard has more than 200; the shortest is 12 feet (4 m).

The Coast Guard boat fleet includes:

Arctic Survey Boat (ASB)

47' Motor Life Boat (MLB)
47-foot Motor Lifeboat
The 47-foot MLB is the standard lifeboat of the United States Coast Guard . The 47′ MLB is the successor to the 44′ MLB.The 47' MLB is designed to weather hurricane force winds and heavy seas, capable of surviving winds up to , breaking surf up to 6 m and impacts up to three G's...

: The Coast Guard's primary heavy-weather boat used for search and rescue as well as law enforcement and homeland security.

41' Utility Boat (UTB)
USCG utility boat
The USCG Utility Boat, or UTB, is a standard utility boat used by the United States Coast Guard for a variety of inshore missions. The 41 ft UTB is designed to operate under moderate weather and sea conditions where its speed and maneuverability make it an ideal platform.There are presently...

: A general purpose boat used for nearly all Coast Guard missions. (This boat is being replaced by the 45' Response Boat Medium.)

Deployable Pursuit Boat (DPB)
USCG deployable pursuit boat
The 38 ft Deployable Pursuit Boat gives the United States Coast Guard a new capability in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific. About 85% of the cocaine smuggled through those areas travels on "go-fasts", 30 to 40 ft high speed craft which each carry 1,000 to 2,000 kg of illegal...

(no longer in service)

Aids to Navigation Boats (TANB/BUSL/ANB/ANB)
USCG aids to navigation boat
The United States Coast Guard maintains roughly 145 Aids to Navigation Boats. These boats were designed primarily to serve within the inland waters of the United States. These vessels include TANB/BUSL/ANB/ANB ranging from 26 to 55 feet in length....

Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB)
USCG transportable port security boat
The 25 ft Transportable Port Security Boat : is a twin outboard motor, open deck, all weather, high performance, moderately-armed platform capable of operating in inner harbor/near shore environments in light sea conditions. It was first built in FY97 by Boston Whaler in Edgewater, Florida, for...

: 25-foot (7.6 m) boat, based on the commercial version of the 25 feet (8 m) center-console Boston Whaler
Boston Whaler
Boston Whaler is a boat company that builds foam filled fiberglass boats. Boston whaler was founded in 1958 by Richard T Fisher, and is still in business today.-History of the Design:...

, suitable for work in inland waters, easily transportable by trailer. These are primarily used by Port Security Unit
Port Security Unit
United States Coast Guard Port Security Units are deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. They can deploy within 96 hours and establish operations within 24 hours. PSUs conduct OCONUS port security in support of requesting regional Combatant commander. They provide...

s 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
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The durability, versatility, and mobility of these boats make them ideal for this type of operation.

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.

Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHI): a rigid-hulled inflatable boat
Rigid-hulled inflatable boat
A rigid-hulled inflatable boat, or rigid-inflatable boat is a light-weight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale. The design is stable and seaworthy...

, 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)
USCG Short Range Prosecutor
The United States Coast Guard Short Range Prosecutor is a 7 meter, high speed launch designed to be launched from cutters, at speed, from a rear launching ramp....

: A 7-meter (23 ft) launch that can be launched from a rear launching ramp, at speed.

USCG Long Range Interceptor (LRI)
USCG Long Range Interceptor
The United States Coast Guard Long Range Interceptor is an 11 meter high speed launch vessel designed to be deployed from cutters via a rear launching ramp....

: An 11-meter (36 ft) high-speed launch that can be launched from the rear ramps of the larger Deepwater cutters.

25' Response boat-small (Defender-Class)
USCG Defender class boat
The Defender-class boat, also called Response Boat – Small and Response Boat – Homeland Security , is a standard boat introduced by the United States Coast Guard in 2002...

: A high speed boat, for a variety of missions, including search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

, port security
Port security
Port security refers to the defense, law and treaty enforcement, and counterterrorism activities that fall within the port and maritime domain...

and law enforcement duties.

Response boat-medium
Response boat-medium
The response boat-medium is a 45-foot utility boat used by the United States Coast Guard. It is intended as a replacement for the Coast Guard’s fleet of 41′ utility boats , which have been in use by the Coast Guard since the 1970s. The Coast Guard plans to acquire 180 of these RB-Ms over a 6–10...

: The Coast Guard has signed a multi-year contract for 180 response boat-medium (RB-M) boats that will be delivered starting in 2008 to replace the 41′ UTB boats. These aluminum boats will be 45 feet (13.7 m) in length, have twin diesel engines (total 1650 hp), be self-righting, have four crew, six passenger capacity, be equippable with two .50 caliber machine guns, have an excellent fendering system, have a top speed of 42 knots (78 km/h), and be capable of towing a 100-ton vessel in eight-foot seas. The boats will be built by Kvichak Marine Industries of Kent, Washington
Kent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...

and Marinette Marine
Marinette Marine
Marinette Marine Corporation is a shipbuilding firm in Marinette, Wisconsin. MMC was a subsidiary of Manitowoc Marine Group, also in Wisconsin, but was sold to Fincantieri Marine Group in 2009...

of Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...

.

USCG Auxiliary Operational Facilities: The Coast Guard surface fleet is augmented by privately owned vessels operated by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard and was established on June 23, 1939 by an act of Congress as the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and was re-designated as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary on February 19, 1941...

.

Small arms

See :Category:United States Coast Guard weapons

From 1986 until 2006, Coast Guardsmen on patrol were armed with Beretta

Beretta

Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer. Their firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and military purposes. It is also known for manufacturing shooting clothes and accessories. Beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the...

M9 Pistol

The Beretta M9, formally Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is a 9×19mm Parabellum pistol of the United States military adopted in 1985. It is essentially a military specification Beretta 92F, later the 92FS....

9 mm pistols. The Coast Guard has since transitioned to the .40 S&W

.40 S&W

The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...

caliber SIG-Sauer P229R DAK as the standard personal defense weapon, completing the changeover as of April 2006. Other small arms in service include the M16A2 rifle, the M4 Carbine

M4 carbine

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 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...

and the Remington 870

Remington 870

The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.-Development:The Remington 870 was...

police magnum riot shotgun

Combat shotgun

A combat shotgun is a shotgun that is intended for use in an offensive role, typically by a military force. The earliest shotguns specifically designed for combat were the trench guns or trench shotguns issued in World War I...

, from which the Coast Guard employs both lethal and non-lethal rounds. The M14

M14 rifle

The M14 rifle, formally the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. It was the standard issue U.S. rifle from 1959 to 1970. The M14 was used for U.S...

Tactical rifle, a variant of the M14 service rifle fitted with the same stock used on the Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle, and a variant of the .50-caliber

.50 BMG

The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...

M107 precision rifle are used for Airborne Use of Force (AUF) missions. Specialized units within the Deployable Operations Group

Deployable Operations Group

The Deployable Operations Group is a United States Coast Guard command that provides properly equipped, trained and organized Deployable Specialized Forces to Coast Guard, DHS, DoD and inter-agency operational and tactical commanders...

also employ the Mk 18 carbine and the Mk 11

SR-25

The SR-25 is a semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Knight's Armament Company. The SR-25 uses a rotating bolt and a direct impingement gas system. It is loosely based on Stoner's AR-10, rebuilt in its original 7.62×51mm NATO caliber...

7.62mm precision rifle. The Coast Guard's standard general purpose machine gun

General purpose machine gun

A general-purpose machine gun is a multi-purpose weapon: it is a machine gun firing a full-power rifle cartridge and which can be used in a variety of roles, from a bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support weapon to a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon...

is the FN

Fabrique Nationale de Herstal

Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal — self identified as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN — is a firearms manufacturer located in Herstal, Belgium....

M240 machine gun which has replaced the M60

M60 machine gun

The M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...

. The M240B variant of this weapon is employed aboard surface vessels while the M240H is used aboard the MH-60 Jayhawk

HH-60 Jayhawk

The Sikorsky HH-60J Jayhawk is a multi-mission, twin-engine, medium-range helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard for search and rescue, law enforcement, military readiness and marine environmental protection missions...

and MH-65 Dolphin

HH-65 Dolphin

The Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engined, single main rotor, MEDEVAC-capable Search and Rescue helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard...

helicopters. 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". Specific units such as Port Security Unit

Port Security Unit

United States Coast Guard Port Security Units are deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. They can deploy within 96 hours and establish operations within 24 hours. PSUs conduct OCONUS port security in support of requesting regional Combatant commander. They provide...

s use the M203 grenade launcher

M203 grenade launcher

The M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...

Communications

Coast Guard radio stations

U.S. Coast Guard Radio Stations

The United States Coast Guard maintains radio stations for communication between Coast Guard units, Coast Guard units and other government entities, and Coast Guard units and the general public. Most communications take place on the VHF marine bands. For long-range communications with aircraft,...

cover a wide geographical area using very high frequency

Very high frequency

Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...

, high frequency

High frequency

High frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...

, and medium frequency

Medium frequency

Medium frequency refers to radio frequencies in the range of 300 kHz to 3 MHz. Part of this band is the medium wave AM broadcast band. The MF band is also known as the hectometer band or hectometer wave as the wavelengths range from ten down to one hectometers...

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

Rescue 21 is an advanced maritime computing, command, control, and communications system designed to manage communications for the United States Coast Guard.-Overview:...

. Rescue 21 is an advanced maritime command, control, and communications (C3) system.

The OMEGA navigation system and the LORAN

LORAN

LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....

-C transmitters outside the USA were run until 1994 also by the United States Coast Guard, and LORAN

LORAN

LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....

-C transmitters within the US were decommissioned on June 1st, 2010, with the exception of 5 CONUS LORAN

LORAN

LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....

-C stations that continue to be manned due to international agreements.

Cutters

Aircraft

Boats

Small arms

Communications

See also