United States Coast Guard Cutter
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/WMEC_Harriet_Lane.jpg/250px-WMEC_Harriet_Lane.jpg)
United States Coast Guard Cutter is the term used by the U.S. Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. They are 65 feet (19.8 m) or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard.[1][2] They carry the ship prefix USCGC.
History of the USCG cutters
The Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, as it was known variously throughout the late 18th and the 19th centuries, referred to its ships as cutters. The term is English in origin and refers to a specific type of vessel, namely, "a small, decked ship with one mast and bowsprit, with a gaff mainsail on a boom, a square yard and topsail, and two jibs or a jib and a staysail."[3] With general usage, that term came to define any vessel of the United Kingdom's HM Customs and Excise and the term was adopted by the U.S. Treasury Department at the creation of what would become the Revenue Marine. Since that time, no matter what the vessel type, the service has referred to its vessels with permanently assigned crews as cutters.
First ten cutters
In 1790, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, to create a maritime service to enforce customs laws (1 Stat. L. 145, 175; 4 August 1790). Alternatively known as the system of cutters, Revenue Service, and Revenue-Marine this service was officially named the Revenue Cutter Service (12 Stat. L., 639) in 1863. This service was placed under the control of the Treasury Department. The first ten cutters were:[1][4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/USRC_Massachusetts_%281791%29.jpg/250px-USRC_Massachusetts_%281791%29.jpg)
- USRC Vigilant
- USRC Active
- USRC General Green
- USRC Massachusetts
- USRC Scammel
- USRC Argus
- USRC Virginia
- USRC Diligence
- USRC South Carolina
- USRC Eagle
Current USCG cutter classes and types
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/USCGCPolarSea.jpg/250px-USCGCPolarSea.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/WLIC_Saginaw.jpg/250px-WLIC_Saginaw.jpg)
- 420' Icebreaker Healy (WAGB)
- 418' National Security Cutter (WMSL)
- 399' Polar-class icebreaker (WAGB)
- 360' Offshore Patrol Cutter (WMSM)
- 295' USCGC Eagle (WIX)
- 282' Edenton-class salvage and rescue ship, converted to Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 270' and 210' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 240' USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB)
- 225' Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB)
- 175' Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM)
- 160' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)
- 154' Sentinel-class cutter (WPC)
- 140' Bay-class icebreaking tug (WTGB)
- 110' Island-class patrol boat (WPB)
- 100' Inland Buoy Tender (WLI)
- 100' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)
- 87' Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat (WPB)
- 75' River Buoy Tender (WLR)
- 75' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)
- 65' River Buoy Tender (WLR)
- 65' Inland Buoy Tender (WLI)
- 65' Small Harbor Tug (WYTL)
Historic USCG cutter classes and types
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/WLB_Firebush.jpg/250px-WLB_Firebush.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/USCGC_Durant_%28WDE-489%29_in_port%2C_circa_in_1953.jpg/250px-USCGC_Durant_%28WDE-489%29_in_port%2C_circa_in_1953.jpg)
- 378' High endurance cutter (WHEC)
- 327' Treasury-class cutter (WPG)
- 311' Casco-class cutter (WAVP)
- 306' Edsall-class cutter (WDE)
- 269' Wind-class icebreaker (WAGB)
- 255' Owasco-class cutter
- 250' Lake-class cutter
- 240' Tampa-class cutter
- 230' Light Icebreaker, redesignated Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 213' Diver-class rescue and salvage ship
- 213' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 205' Cherokee-class fleet tug, converted to (WAT) cutter, redesignated (WMEC)
- 180' Seagoing buoy tender (WLB)
- 180' Oceanographic vessel (WAGO)
- 165' Thetis-class patrol boat
- 165' Algonquin-class patrol boat
- 165' Tallapoosa-class boat
- 157' Red-class coastal buoy tender (WLM)
- 133' White-class coastal buoy tender (WLM)
- 125' Active-class patrol boat (WSC)
- 123' Patrol boat (Deepwater Modified) (WPB)
- 110' Calumet-class harbor tug (WYTM)
- 110' Apalachee-class harbor tug (WYTM)
- 110' Manitou-class harbor tug (WYTM)
- 95' Cape-class cutter (WPB)
- 82' Point-class cutter (WPB)
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". U.S. Coast Guard Historic Topics. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ Cutler, Deborah W. and Thomas J. Cutler (2005). Dictionary of Naval Terms. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-59114-150-1.
- ^ Peter Kemp, editor, The Oxford Companion to Ships & the Sea; London: Oxford University Press, 1976; pp. 221-222.
- ^ Willoughby, Malcolm F. (1957). The U.S. Coast Guard in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. p. 3.
- v
- t
- e
Category:United States Coast Guard
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Seal_of_the_U.S._Coast_Guard.svg/80px-Seal_of_the_U.S._Coast_Guard.svg.png)
- History
- Coast Guard Act
- Coast Guard City
- Life-Saving Service
- Revenue Cutter Service
- Lighthouse Service
- Steamboat Inspection Service
- Bureau of Navigation
- "Semper Paratus"
- Flag
- Ensign
- Racing Stripe
- United States Coast Guard Band
- United States Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard
- United States Coast Guard Pipe Band
- Fleet Week
- Coast Guard service numbers
- Coast Guardsman's Creed
- United States Coast Guard Cutters
- Coast Guard Bears
- SPARS
- Quasi-War
- War of 1812
- West Indies anti-piracy operations
- Capture of the schooner Bravo
- Ingham Incident
- Amistad Incident
- Great Lakes Patrol
- Mexican–American War
- American Civil War
- Battle of Fort Sumter
- Battle of Pig Point
- Battle of Galveston Harbor
- Battle of Portland Harbor
- Overland Relief Expedition
- Spanish–American War
- Battle of Manila Bay
- Battle of Cárdenas
- Ice Patrol
- World War I
- 1st Battle of the Atlantic
- Great Mississippi Flood
- Rum Patrol
- World War II
- 2nd Battle of the Atlantic
- Battle of Guam
- Operation Overlord
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
- Coast Guard Squadron One
- Operation Market Time
- Operation Sealords
- Action of 1 March 1968
- Persian Gulf War
- War on terror
- Afghanistan War
- Iraq War
- Operation Enduring Freedom HOA