USCGC SAILFISH (WPB 87356)
CGC SAILFISH is one of the newest of the 87s in the fleet. The ship is skippered by a Lieutenant and crewed by 10 of the finest Coastguardsmen in the fleet. The cutter is 87 feet long, 19.5 feet wide, and has a mast height of 50 feet from the main deck. Boasting a set of twin turbo 8 cylinder MTU diesel engines the vessel can reach speeds of 25 kts and tow up to 200 tons. Her throttles are controlled by the pilot house with "fly by wire" technology that allows the ship to control the engines by a remote configuration. This eliminates the problem of mechanical pulleys that can break, stretch, become fouled, and require periodic recalibration. CGC SAILFISH has a fuel capacity of 2800 gallons of fuel, 410 gallons of potable water, and 364 gallons of sewage capacity which allows us approximately 2 - 3 days of general underway steaming with out pulling in. The SAILFISH is equipped with a stern launch small boat. The small boat can reach speeds in excess of 40 kts and can carry 11 passengers and crew. The small boat can be launched safely in seas up to 4 - 5 feet but could go higher depending on the severity of conditions and urgency of the operation. The small boat is crewed by a Coxn' and Crewmen (preferably a boat engineer) and can be launched by 2 people, (1 safety observer and a deck hand) Our primary missions are Homeland Security, Search and Rescue, and Law Enforcement. The SAILFISH has been called on to conduct high value asset escorts, security for foreign dignitaries, security for the United Nations, and Presidential Security details. While conducting Search and Rescue some of our cases have included the recovery of 2 kayakers at sea, responded to sailing vessels in distress and off shore fishing vessel tows in storm conditions. Our collateral duty that we spend the most time on is Law Enforcement in the field of Living Marine Resources (LMR). In this endeavor we have found hidden compartments used for smuggling contraband, protection of the U.S. claim to the EEZ from foreign interest vessels, protection of marine species from nonenvironmentally sound fishing techniques, and conducted safety inspections. |
Crew of CGC SAILFISHExecutive Petty Officer Engineering Petty Officer 1st LT/Operations Petty Officer
. The SAILFISH conducts 1800 underway hours a year with the majority of that time spent conducting Homeland Security and Living Marine Resources (LMR) Law Enforcement. We are normally in an "A" status for 2 weeks a month and collect approximately 72 - 96 hours per week during this time. However, during a Pulse Operation period we can log well over 100 hours in a week. During the year we conduct much of our LMR off the Coast of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, however, our AOR reaches from Shrewsbury River NJ to the boarder of Maine and Canada. |
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