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Coast Guard Assets

Explore the aircraft, cutters and boats used by the Coast Guard to conduct various missions throughout the world.

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A Coast Guard Station Boston crew transits between Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba and Coast Guard Cutter Spencer in Boston on Nov. 24, 2014. The Escanaba and Spencer are 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutters.

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Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba and Coast Guard Cutter Spencer in Boston

A Coast Guard Station Boston crew transits between Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba and Coast Guard Cutter Spencer in Boston on Nov. 24, 2014. The Escanaba and Spencer are 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutters. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class MyeongHi Clegg)

The Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Boston, and Escanaba’s small boat are underway for a personnel transfer offshore Haiti Wednesday, July 27, 2016. The cutter’s crew hosted Brian Shukan, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, and Michel-Ange Gedeon, director general of the Haitian National Police, for discussion of international search and rescue coordination and a tour of the cutter.

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Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba small boat underway

The Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Boston, and Escanaba’s small boat are underway for a personnel transfer offshore Haiti Wednesday, July 27, 2016. The cutter’s crew hosted Brian Shukan, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, and Michel-Ange Gedeon, director general of the Haitian National Police, for discussion of international search and rescue coordination and a tour of the cutter.

Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba transits southbound on the East River with the New York City skyline in the background on March 24, 2018. The Escanaba had just completed several months in dry dock at Brooklyn Naval Yard.

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Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba transits southbound on the East River

Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba transits southbound on the East River with the New York City skyline in the background on March 24, 2018. The Escanaba had just completed several months in dry dock at Brooklyn Naval Yard. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Strohmaier)

Characteristics

Length: 270 feet
Beam: 38 feet
Range: 3,800 nautical miles at 19.5 knots
Armament: One Mk 75 76 mm gun, two .50-caliber machine guns, two SRBOC launchers

Summary
Famous-class cutters are the most modern and advanced medium endurance cutters, with modern weapons and sensor suite.

Description

The famous-class cutters is responsible for a variety of Coast Guard missions including: search and rescue, enforcement of laws and treaties, maritime defense and protection of the environment. The versatility of the cutter makes it a cost effective platform in carrying out national objectives. They have long been equipped with a Command, Display, and Control (COMDAC) computerized ship control system that was significantly updated in the 1990s and makes these ships effective with smaller crews.

Coast Guard Assets

270-foot Famous Class