Marine Protector-class patrol boat
 The class leader USCGC Barracuda underway. Note the boat launching ramp at the stern. The fifty caliber machine guns mount on pintles, port and starboard, just forward of the red stripe. The black smudge in the hull abaft the superstructure is the exhaust of the port engine.
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marine Protector class |
| Builders | Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana |
| Operators | United States Coast Guard |
| Preceded by | Point class |
| In commission | 1998-present |
| Completed | 73 |
| Cancelled | 0 |
| Active | 67 |
| Retired | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 91 Long tons |
| Length | 87 ft (27 m) |
| Beam | 19 ft 5 in (5.92 m) |
| Draft | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 x MTU diesels |
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)+ |
| Range | 900 nmi (1,700 km) |
| Endurance | 3 days |
| Complement | 10 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
1 x AN/SPS-73 surface search radar |
| Armament | 2 × .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns |
| Notes | |
The Marine Protector class is a class of coastal patrol boats of the United States Coast Guard. The 87-foot-long vessels are based on the Stan 2600 design by Damen Group, and were built by Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana. Each boat is named after sea creatures which fly or swim.
The Coast Guard placed its original order in 1999 for 50 boats, which were delivered by mid-2002. Several additional orders brought the class to a total of 74 ships, with the last, USCGC Sea Fox, being completed in October 2009. Four additional vessels were built for Foreign Military Sales, with two each going to Malta and Yemen.
In May 2021, the United States announced that it would send three ships to the Lebanese Navy
The Marine Protector class replaced the 82-foot Point class which had smaller accommodations and had to stop to deploy its pursuit inflatable boat via crane. The last Point-class cutter was decommissioned in 2003.
In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security began to decommission the fleet, with 8 Marine Protector cutters replaced by newer Sentinel class cutters.
In May 2023, the United States government pledged to provide the Philippines at least two Marine Protector vessels, as well as two Island-class patrol boat and three Lockheed C-130H Hercules during President Bongbong Marcos' visit to Washington D.C. The transferred vessels will be operated by the Philippine Navy.
General characteristics
Missions include combating drug smuggling, illegal immigration, marine fisheries enforcement and search and rescue support. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks many have a homeland security mission in the form of ports waterways and coastal security (PWCS) patrols.
Boarding parties can be launched while the vessel is underway, through the cutter's stern launching ramp. The attached rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) has been upgraded in an effort to increase speed and sea state sustainability for boarding parties and rescue and assistance teams. The stern launching system requires only a single crew member to remain on deck to launch or retrieve the boarding party.
The vessels consume approximately 165 gallons of diesel per hour at their maximum speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph).
Like all new U.S. Coast Guard vessels, the Marine Protector class are designed to accommodate crews of mixed gender with five separate small berthing spaces accommodating standard crews of ten with maximum berthing for 12.
Sea Dragon and Sea Dog are assigned to guard a United States Navy submarine base in Kings Bay, Georgia, while Sea Devil and Sea Fox guard another submarine base in Bangor, Washington. All mount an additional machine gun operated by remote control.
Boats in class
| Image | Name | Hull Number | Builder | Commissioned | Homeport | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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USCGC Barracuda | WPB-87301 | Bollinger Shipyards | 1998 | Eureka, California | Active |
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USCGC Hammerhead | WPB-87302 | Woods Hole, Massachusetts | |||
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USCGC Mako | WPB-87303 | Cape May, New Jersey | |||
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USCGC Marlin | WPB-87304 | Fort Myers Beach, Florida | |||
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USCGC Stingray | WPB-87305 | Mobile, Alabama | |||
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USCGC Dorado | WPB-87306 | 1999 | Crescent City, California | Decommissioned on March 10, 2021. Donated to the Lebanese navy. | |
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USCGC Osprey | WPB-87307 | Port Townsend, Washington | |||
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USCGC Chinook | WPB-87308 | New London, Connecticut | |||
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USCGC Albacore | WPB-87309 | New London, Connecticut | Sold to Uruguay. | ||
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USCGC Tarpon | WPB-87310 | Tybee Island, Georgia | |||
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USCGC Cobia | WPB-87311 | Mobile, Alabama | |||
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USCGC Hawksbill | WPB-87312 | Monterey, California | |||
Decommissioned |
USCGC Cormorant | WPB-87313 | South Padre Island, Texas | |||
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USCGC Finback | WPB-87314 | Cape May, New Jersey | |||
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USCGC Amberjack | WPB-87315 | South Padre Island, Texas | |||
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USCGC Kittiwake | WPB-87316 | Honolulu, Hawaii | |||
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USCGC Blackfin | WPB-87317 | Santa Barbara, California | |||
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USCGC Bluefin | WPB-87318 | Fort Pierce, Florida | |||
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USCGC Yellowfin | WPB-87319 | Charleston, South Carolina | |||
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USCGC Manta | WPB-87320 | 2000 | Freeport, Texas | Decommissioned on Apr 16, 2021. Donated to the Lebanese navy. | |
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USCGC Coho | WPB-87321 | Panama City, Florida | |||
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USCGC Kingfisher | WPB-87322 | Mayport, Florida | |||
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USCGC Seahawk | WPB-87323 | Carrabelle, Florida | |||
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USCGC Steelhead | WPB-87324 | Port Aransas, Texas | |||
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USCGC Beluga | WPB-87325 | Little Creek, Virginia | |||
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USCGC Blacktip | WPB-87326 | Oxnard, California | |||
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USCGC Pelican | WPB-87327 | Abbeville, Louisiana | |||
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USCGC Ridley | WPB-87328 | Montauk, New York | |||
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USCGC Cochito | WPB-87329 | Little Creek, Virginia | Sold to Uruguay. | ||
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USCGC Manowar | WPB-87330 | Galveston, Texas | |||
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USCGC Moray | WPB-87331 | Jonesport, Maine | |||
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USCGC Razorbill | WPB-87332 | Gulfport, Mississippi | |||
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USCGC Adelie | WPB-87333 | Port Angeles, Washington | |||
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USCGC Gannet | WPB-87334 | Dania, Florida | Sold to Uruguay. | ||
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USCGC Narwhal | WPB-87335 | Corona Del Mar, California | |||
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USCGC Sturgeon | WPB-87336 | Grand Isle, Louisiana | |||
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USCGC Sockeye | WPB-87337 | Bodega Bay, California | |||
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USCGC Ibis | WPB-87338 | Cape May, New Jersey | |||
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USCGC Pompano | WPB-87339 | Gulfport, Mississippi | |||
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USCGC Halibut | WPB-87340 | Marina Del Rey, California | |||
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USCGC Bonito | WPB-87341 | Pensacola, Florida | |||
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USCGC Shrike | WPB-87342 | Port Canaveral, Florida | |||
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USCGC Tern | WPB-87343 | San Francisco, California | |||
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USCGC Heron | WPB-87344 | Sabine Pass, Texas | |||
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USCGC Wahoo | WPB-87345 | Port Angeles, Washington | |||
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USCGC Flyingfish | WPB-87346 | Boston, Massachusetts | |||
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USCGC Haddock | WPB-87347 | San Diego, California | |||
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USCGC Brant | WPB-87348 | 2002 | Corpus Christi, Texas | Decommissioned on March 17, 2022 | |
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USCGC Shearwater | WPB-87349 | 2002 | Portsmouth, Virginia | Decommissioned on April 15, 2021. Donated to the Lebanese navy. | |
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USCGC Petrel | WPB-87350 | San Diego, California | |||
| 87351 | Malta | |||||
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USCGC Sea Lion | WPB-87352 | Bellingham, Washington | |||
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USCGC Skipjack | WPB-87353 | Galveston, Texas | |||
| USCGC Dolphin | WPB-87354 | Miami, Florida | ||||
| USCGC Hawk | WPB-87355 | St. Petersburg, Florida | ||||
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USCGC Sailfish | WPB-87356 | Sandy Hook, New Jersey | |||
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USCGC Sawfish | WPB-87357 | Key West, Florida | |||
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USCGC Swordfish | WPB-87358 | Port Angeles, Washington | |||
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USCGC Tiger Shark | WPB-87359 | Newport, Rhode Island | |||
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USCGC Blue Shark | WPB-87360 | Everett, Washington | |||
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USCGC Sea Horse | WPB-87361 | Portsmouth, Virginia | |||
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USCGC Sea Otter | WPB-87362 | San Diego, California | |||
| USCGC Manatee | WPB-87363 | Corpus Christi, Texas | ||||
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USCGC Ahi | WPB-87364 | Honolulu, Hawaii | |||
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USCGC Pike | WPB-87365 | San Francisco, California | |||
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USCGC Terrapin | WPB-87366 | Bellingham, Washington | |||
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USCGC Sea Dragon | WPB-87367 | Kings Bay, Georgia | In active service | ||
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USCGC Sea Devil | WPB-87368 | Bangor, Washington | |||
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USCGC Crocodile | WPB-87369 | St Petersburg, Florida | |||
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USCGC Diamondback | WPB-87370 | Miami Beach, Florida | |||
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USCGC Reef Shark | WPB-87371 | Juneau, Alaska | |||
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USCGC Alligator | WPB-87372 | St. Petersburg, Florida | |||
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USCGC Sea Dog | WPB-87373 | Kings Bay, Georgia | |||
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USCGC Sea Fox | WPB-87374 | Bangor, Washington | In active service |