United States Coast Guard Cutter
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A Cutter is a United States Coast Guard vessel 65 feet in length or greater, having adequate accommodations for crew to live on board. Larger cutters (over 180 feet in length) are under control of Area Commands (Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). Cutters at or under 180 feet in length come under control of District Commands. Cutters, usually have a motor surf boat and/or a rigid hull inflatable boat on board. Polar Class Icebreakers also carry an Arctic Survey Boat (ASB) and Landing Craft. The following are lists of current and past cutter types:
Current Cutters Image:WAGB Polar Sea.jpg Image:WMEC Harriet Lane.jpg Image:WLIC Saginaw.jpg
- 420' Icebreaker (WAGB)
- 418' Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL)
- 399' Polar Class Icebreaker (WAGB)
- 378' High Endurance Cutter (WHEC)
- 295' Training Barque Eagle (WIX)
- 282' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 270' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 240' Seagoing Buoy Tender Breaker (WLBB)
- 230' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 225' Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB)
- 213' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 210' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC)
- 179' Patrol Coastal (WPC)
- 175' Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM)
- 160' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)
- 140' Icebreaking Tug (WTGB)
- 123' Patrol Boat (WPB)
- 110' Patrol Boat (WPB)
- 100' Inland Buoy Tender (WLI)
- 100' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)
- 87' 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 Cutters Image:WLB Firebush.jpg Image:WDE Durant.jpg
- 327' Treasury Class Cutter (WPG)
- 311' Casco Class Cutter (WAVP)
- 306' Edsall Class (WDE)
- 255' Owasco Class Cutter (WPG)
- 250' Lakes Class Cutter
- 240' Tampa Class Cutter
- 213' Diver Class Cutter (WAT)
- 205' Navaho Class Auxiliary Tug (WAT)
- 180' Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB)
- 180' Oceanographic Vessel (WAGO)
- 165' Thetis Class Patrol Boat (WPC)
- 165' Algonquin Class Patrol Boat (WPG)
- 125' Active Class Patrol Boat (WSC)
- 110' Calumet Class Harbor Tug (WYTM)
- 110' Apalachee Class Harbor Tug (WYT)
[edit] History of the Cutter
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." (Peter Kemp, editor, The Oxford Companion to Ships & the Sea; London: Oxford University Press, 1976; pp. 221-222.) By general usage, that term came to define any vessel of Great Britain's Royal Customs Service 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 largest vessels as cutters (today a cutter is any Coast Guard vessel over 65-feet in length). (CG Historians' Office)
The 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). Alternately known as the system of cutters, Revenue Service, and Revenue-Marine this service would officially be named the Revenue Cutter Service (12 Stat. L., 639) in 1863. This service was placed under the control of the Treasury Department.
