| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Thirteenth District |
|
|
| Press Release |
Date: Oct. 12, 2005 |
|
UNIQUE COAST GUARD CUTTERS SEEN IN ELLIOTT BAY Video, phone interviews available SEATTLE - Boaters and ferry riders may have seen a pair of Coast Guard 87-foot cutters patrolling the waters of Elliott Bay and other areas in the lower Puget Sound this week. The Coast Guard Cutters Swordfish, homeported in Port Angeles, Wash., and Blue Shark, homeported in Everett, Wash., are two of the Northwest's six Marine Protector Class Coastal Patrol Boats. Three 87-foot cutters are homeported in Port Angeles, one in Everett, one in Port Townsend, Wash., and one in Bellingham, Wash., with a second cutter scheduled to arrive in 2006. These patrol boats are an innovative, multi-missioned class of vessel, capable of performing search & rescue, law enforcement, fishery patrols, drug interdiction, and migrant interdiction duties up to 200 miles offshore. The coastal patrol boat carries a 10-person crew and is capable of achieving a maximum continuous speed of 25 knots. The average patrol speed is 10 knots.The most unique feature of the cutter's design is the rigid-inflatable boat launch and recovery system. The system includes a ramp that is incorporated into the stern which allows the support vessel to drive onto the coastal patrol boat while the larger vessel is moving. This feature significantly improves the safety during launch and recovery. To conduct a phone interview with Lt. j.g Sarah Salazar, the Commanding Officer of the Swordfish, please call (360) 912-0221. A link to a player of a .wmv video. To view archived press releases about 87-foot Marine Protector Class Coastal Patrol Cutters arriving in the Puget Sound, click on the following link: Coast Guard Cutter Blue Shark commissioning ceremony - http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/21/80956/ Coast Guard Cutter Swordfish commissioning ceremony - http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/21/79611/ New Coast Guard cutter arrives in Port Angeles, Wash. - http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/21/71805/
SEATTLE - Visitors gathered in Port Angeles, Wash., onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Swordfish, for the Puget Sound's newest 87-foot patrol boat in May 2005. The cutter officially entered the Coast Guard fleet during a commissioning ceremony held at Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles, the ships home port. Adm. Thomas Collins, Commandant of the Coast Guard, and the ships sponsor, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, were on hand for the ceremony. The 87-foot patrol boat's primary missions include search and rescue, law enforcement and Homeland Security and has a maximum speed of 25 knots. USCG photo by PA3 Adam Eggers.
SEATTLE The Blue Shark, homeported in Everett, Wash., was the sixth 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat to be placed in service in the
### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
printer friendly
