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USCGC Resolute (WMEC-620)
Encyclopedia
USCGC Resolute (WMEC-620) is a 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...
medium endurance cutter.
History
The name Resolute carries a tradition of pride and professionalism in the service of the public. The Coast Guard's first cutter Resolute was a top-sail schooner built and commissioned in 1867. This first Resolute was homeported in Key West, FloridaKey West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, and took on the missions of smuggling interdiction as well as search and rescue.
The current cutter Resolute is very different in size and construction but the missions remain the same. Resolute is well known for its long and productive history. The sixth of sixteen Reliance-class cutters, Resolute was the first of her class to be powered by two 2500 hp Alco-B Diesel engines. Resolutes keel was laid at the United States Coast Guard Yard
United States Coast Guard Yard
The United States Coast Guard Yard or just Coast Guard Yard is a United States Coast Guard operated shipyard located on Curtis Bay in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore city limits. It is the coast guard's sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, and part of the...
, Curtis Bay, Maryland, in May 1965. Resolute was commissioned December 8, 1966. Since that time she has seen several different homeports including San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
; Alameda, California
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...
; Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
; and her current home port of St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
.
USCGC Resolute has been decorated on several occasions. She has done well during Refresher Training (REFTRA), earning eight REFTRA "E's" for overall excellence in simulated battle and damage scenarios. Resolute has earned two Coast Guard Unit Commendation
Coast Guard Unit Commendation
The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that distinguishes itself by valorous or extremely...
awards for exceptional work in separate SAR cases. In 1981, Resolute extinguished a fire aboard the tug DeFelice alongside a San Francisco fuel pier. Two Resolute crewmembers entered the burning tug and retrieved her injured occupants. Several of Resolutes crew were injured during this operation while they fought desperately to save the vessel and crew. In 1982, Resolute earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
for protecting an from potentially dangerous demonstrators. In 1986, after successfully completing hundreds of SAR cases and fisheries boardings, Resolute saw her first drug bust. The seizure of the M/V Pamnico and the arrest of the vessel's crew resulted in the interdiction of over 20000 lb (9,071.8 kg) of marijuana headed for the streets of the United States.
Resolute exercised its multi-mission capabilities during its tour of duty in Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
. On numerous occasions, Resolute was called to assist vessels in distress. Environmental protection was Resolutes primary calling when it was tasked with patrolling U.S. fishery protection zones. Resolute also responded to assist in the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...
disaster in Alaska.
Resolute was decommissioned at the United States Coast Guard Yard
United States Coast Guard Yard
The United States Coast Guard Yard or just Coast Guard Yard is a United States Coast Guard operated shipyard located on Curtis Bay in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore city limits. It is the coast guard's sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, and part of the...
in 1994 for a major refurbishment. Now recommissioned, she continues to meet diverse challenges off the Southeast United States and in the Caribbean Sea.
Resolute escorted the 500 feet (152.4 m) Motor Vessel Yalta from the Windard Passage to the Port of Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
from June 27 – July 1, 2003. Members of Resolutes boarding team and Rescue and Assistance detail were directly responsible for the salvage, safe navigation, operation and security of M/V Yalta, its crew, and over 4 tons of cocaine during the transit. From July 5–25, 2003, Resolute participated in TACT (Tailored Annual Cutter Training). The training included such activities as man overboard, anchoring, towing, swept channel, general emergency, collision, gun shoot and general quarters drills. For participation and successful completion of all drills Resolute won the Battle E Ribbon from United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area (LANTAREA), her second award in two years.
Deepwater Horizon Response
Resolute is currently part of the flotilla being used to respond to the Deepwater Horizon oil spillDeepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The United States Government is billing BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
$19,000 per hour.
In Fiction
USCGC Resolute appears in the second chapter of the novel Hammerheads where, armed as it would be in wartime (1 OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gunOtobreda 76 mm
The Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...
, 6 x .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun), the ship becomes involved in a gun-battle with a heavily armed freighter used by a Colombian cartel to smuggle cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
into the United States.