Our Day on the Bay Aboard a US Coast Guard Cutter

Here at Telstar Logistics, we like safety.  And we like boating.  Not necessarily in that order, mind you, but still... when a public affairs liaison from the United States Coast Guard invited us to spend an afternoon aboard a USCG cutter to talk about boating safety and watch a live demonstration of helicopter-assisted search and rescue techniques, we jumped at the opportunity.  Safely, of course.

We arrived at the Coast Guard's base on Yerba Buena Island, smack in the middle of San Francisco Bay and quite literally in the shadow of the Bay Bridge, on a recent sunny afternoon. After passing the sentry at the main gate (Sweeeet!) we made our way to the USCG Hawksbill, WPB 87312.  The Hawksbill is one of the Coast Guard's 87-foot Marine Protector cutters, a medium sized ship designed for extended law enforcement, rescue, and coastal defense patrols. Vessels in the Marine Protector class are all of recent vintage -- the Hawksbill was built by Bolinger Shipyards in 1999 --  and they all can carry a crew of 10 on missions lasting as long as five days. Equipped with contemporary electronics, communications, and radar equipment, as well as two M2 .50 caliber machine guns, Marine Protectors can also launch and recover a rigid inflatable Zodiac boat while underway at speed.  Each ship cost Uncle Sam $3.5 million.

Once on board, we took a look around. We started in the lower deck, where we toured the crew's mess and galley. (NOTE: Interior design mavens, check out those superslick drawers and cabinets!)

Then we moved on to the engine room, and the twin MTU diesel motors:

On the main deck, we poked our heads into the ship's office, response locker, and the officer's cabin:

In the pilothouse, we oogled the electronic chart system, the radar, and all the seductive buttons and switches. Mmmmmm.  Blinky:

Out on the bay, we were soon joined by a HH-65C Aerospatiale Dolphin helicopter from the Coast Guard's San Francisco Air Station:

Which began to practice search and rescue procedures by dropping a diver into the chilly water:

Later, as the Hawksbill motored north toward the Golden Gate, we watched a demonstration of how the Zodiac is launched and recovered from the cutter's stern ramp while underway:

Lastly, it must be said, we were mightily impressed with the cutter's crew, who were not only cheerful, patient, and polite, but also exuded a quiet professionalism that made the Hawksbill feel like a much bigger boat.

We took plenty more photos aboard the Hawksbill, so follow the links below if you want to keep exploring.

Oh, and about all that safety stuff.  The Coast Guard asks that you please be careful while boating, and just as importantly, that you please avoid calling in distracting false alarms if you're not in life-threatening trouble.  The word "Mayday?"  It's not to be used casually during radio communications. Roger that? Don't make this guy come looking for you. Let's have fun on the water, fellow aquanauts.  But let's be careful out there.

LINKS:
Aboard USCG Hawksbill, Sector San Francisco (Flickr photoset and ship tour by Telstar Logistics)

VIDEO: Coast Guard Rescue Training (KTVU-TV video filmed during our time aboard Hawksbill)

WPB 87' Marine Protector Class (Ship history and data from Globalsecurity.org)

PREVIOUSLY:
Telstar Logistics Visits the USS Nimitz or: How We Learned to Stop Whining and Love Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carriers

Turning the Launch Key Inside a Titan ICBM Missile Silo

Exploring the Ghost Ship SS Independence

Telstar Logistics Gets Intimate with an Airbus A380

(IMAGES: Top, Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Kevin J. Neff, showing Telstar Logistics on the deck of the USCG Hawksbill. All other photos by Telstar Logistics.)

Comments

[chromal]

Wow. That cutter looks to be about 4x bigger on the inside than on the outside. How do they fit all those rooms. Also, you showed us the officer bunks; where do the non-officers sleep? Hot bunking like in subs? Is there a 0.75 bathroom, or is it more of a 0.5 bathroom?

[Telstar Logistics]

I saw the enlisted bunks; they're on the lower deck, and they're actually about the same, space-wise. But the 8 enlisted folk have to share 1 toilet and 1 shower.

[Josh J]

Under what circumstances do they use those 50 cals?

[Edward]

How did you get invited aboard? That must have been a very cool afternoon. The closest I ever get is during the blessing of the fleet every year, the USCG Cutter has a priest aboard that blesses you as you float by.

[Guy Marsh]

I actually served on this ship, and loved every single minute of it. I also understand that all the comments left here were from about 2 and a half years ago. Crew quarters and things like that were very reasonable given the size of the ship, the crew restroom was a half bath with a toilet and a sink with a shower located right across the hallway from the bathroom. The .50 calibers are only used for emergency law enforcement situations. if there are any questions I would be more than happy to answer them, just email me.