Photo: "Always Ready" panel (<i>enhanced readability rendition on right</i>)

Photographer: Cosmos Mariner
Taken: June 23, 2017
Caption: "Always Ready" panel (enhanced readability rendition on right)
Additional Description: The United States Coast Guard has a long history of protecting Gloucester's mariners. The lighthouses, fog horns and buoys operated and maintained by the Coast Guard in Gloucester waters are still critical aids to navigation in these times of satellite communications and global positioning.

To some, the more glamorous aspect of the Coast Guard is its responsibility for search and rescue. Next to this site is Station Gloucester, a search and rescue base that protects an area from Nahant, south of here, north to the New Hampshire border. The station operates six boats and is staffed by 55 well-trained professionals who are on 24-hour call. If a klaxon sounds while you are here, watch for the crew running from the station to the boats in response to an emergency. The adjacent public park is a great spot to watch them depart. Shown below are the types of Coast Guard boats you are likely to see in Gloucester waters.

Gloucester mariners know, and rely on, the Coast Guard's motto “Semper Paratus” - Always Ready!

110-foot Island-Class Patrol Boat (WPB)
This boat, based on a successful British design, has excellent range and stability in heavy seas. It is used for drug and illegal alien interdiction, search and rescue and defense operations in times of crisis. It is armed with one 25-mm and two M-2 .50 machine guns. This cutter has a range of 3,300 miles, a speed of 26 knots, and a crew of 16. The Grand Isle, WPB 1338, is home ported in Gloucester.

47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB)
This new boat is designed for first response and rescue under the most difficult conditions. It is design to withstand 80 knot winds, 30 foot seas and 20 foot breaking surf. Self-bailing, self-righting, with a maximum speed of 25 knots and a range of 200 miles, this boat has a crew of four. Crews from Station Gloucester tested and evaluated one of the prototypes, MLB #47205, and provided designers with 50 recommendations for improvements.

41-foot Utility Boat (UTB)
This boat is the workhorse of most Coast Guard stations. It is designed to operate in moderate weather and sea conditions where its speed and maneuverability make it an ideal platform for a variety of missions. It has a range of 300 miles, a maximum speed of 25 knots, and a crew of three. Most Coast Guard boats have distinctive diagonal red stripes near the bow for easy identification.

21-foot Rigid Inflatable Boat (RI)
This boat has a deep-V, fiberglass hull to which a buoyancy tube has been attached. It is powered by twin outboard engines and is used for a variety of missions that require rapid response or shallow draft. It has a range of 100 miles, a speed of 38 knots and a crew of two. Coast Guard rigid inflatables are usually orange.
Submitted: March 26, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p420542
File Size: 3.105 Megabytes

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