Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
USCG coastal patrol boat
The United States Coast Guard has maintained various classes of coastal patrol boats. The USCG currently has 56 patrol boats in its Marine Protector class. Their pennant numbers are WPB 87301 thought WPB 87356. The 87 foot Marine Protector class replaced the 82 foot Point class. The Point class had less spacious accomodation, and they had to stop to deploy or retreive their pursuit boat via a small crane. As of 2004 only two Point class vessels remained in service.
| Length | 87 feet |
| Beam | 19' 5" feet |
| Draft | 5' 7" |
| Maximum Range | 900 Nautical Miles |
| Endurance | 3 Days |
| Crew | 10 Personnel |
| Armament | 2x 0.50 caliber machine guns |
| Maximum speed | 25 knots |
Among their missions are combating smuggling and illegal immigration, and Search and Rescue.
Boarding parties can be launched while the vessel is at speed, through the cutter's stern launching ramp. The boarding party launch is powered by water jets, and is extremely fast. The stern launching system requires just a single crewmember to remain on deck to launch or retrieve the boarding party.
Like all recent US Coast Guard vessels the Marine Protector class were designed to be able to accommodate crews of mixed gender.
See also
USCG Island class cutter
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