The Virtual U.S. Coast Guard uses a variety of platforms to conduct its daily business. Cutters and small boats are used on the water and fixed and rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft are used in the air.
A "Cutter" is basically any VUSCG vessel 65 feet in length or greater, having adequate accommodations for crew to live on board. Larger cutters (over 180 feet in length) are under control of Area Commands (Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). Cutters at or under 180 feet in length come under control of District Commands. Cutters, usually have a motor surf boat and/or a rigid hull inflatable boat on board. Polar Class icebreakers also carry an Arctic Survey Boat (ASB) and Landing Craft.
Rigid inflatable boats are deep-V glass-reinforced plastic hulls to which a multi-compartment buoyancy tube is attached. They are powered by either a gasoline outboard motor or an inboard/outboard diesel engine. The RHI can be easily deployed from a cutter with a four-point bridle used for davit lifting and lowering. The RHI is a versatile craft. Its portability and ruggedness allow it to be used across many Virtual Coast Guard mission areas.
25-foot Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB)
"Guardian"
25' Boston Whalers outfitted with two 175 horsepower outboard engines.
41-foot Utility Boat (UTB)
The 41' UTB is the general workhorse at multi-mission units. It is designed to operate under moderate weather and sea conditions where its speed and maneuverability make it an ideal platform for a variety of missions.
There are presently 172 operational boats.
Generally regarded by their crews as the "Cadillac" of the motor lifeboats, these boats answer the call when heavy weather conditions are too severe for any other rescue boat.
There are presently 4 operational boats.
87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat (WPB)
Marine Protector Class
Length: 87 feet
Beam: 19 feet 5 inches
Power plant: 2 Diesel enginesThe newly designed CPB has several enhancements over the aging 82s, including improved mission sea keeping abilities (up to sea state 5), significantly upgraded habitability, and compliance with all current and projected environmental protection laws. The CPB also employs an innovative stern launch and recovery system using an Aluminum hulled inboard diesel powered waterjet small boat. The vastly larger pilot house is equipped with an integrated bridge system including an electronic chart display system (ECDIS) which interfaces with the CG’s new surface search radar. SWIII computers along with a fiber optic network will also be installed, allowing the crew to access the vessel’s CD-ROM tech pubs and drawings.
110-foot Island-class Patrol Boats are a Virtual Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat. With excellent range and seakeeping capabilities, the Island Class, all named after U.S. islands, replaced the older 95-foot Cape-class patrol boats. Built in the late 1980s they are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment.
The 378-foot High Endurance Cutter class are the largest cutters, aside from the two Polar Class Icebreakers, ever built for the Virtual Coast Guard. They are powered by diesel engines and gas turbines, and have controllable-pitch propellers. Equipped with a helicopter flight deck, retractable hangar, and the facilities to support helicopter deployment, these 12 cutters were introduced to the Virtual Coast Guard inventory in the 1960s. Beginning in the 1980s and ending in 1992, the entire class was modernized through the Fleet Renovation and Modernization (FRAM) program. The first of the class was the Hamilton (WHEC-715) commissioned in 1967. Highly versatile and capable of performing a variety of missions, these cutters operate throughout the world's oceans.
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