A United States Coast Guard cutter is any vessel operated by the United States Coast Guard that is over 65 feet in length.

History of the USCG cutters

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 vessels with permanently assigned crews as cutters.

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.

• USRC Vigilant
• USRC Active
• USRC General Green
• USRC Massachusetts
• USRC Scammel
• USRC Argus
• USRC Virginia
• USRC Diligence
• USRC South Carolina
• USRC Eagle

Current USCG cutter classes and types

• 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 USCG cutter classes and types

• 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' Cherokee 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)
• 165' Tallapoosa-class cutter (WPG), (WPR)
• 157' Red Class Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM)
• 133' White Class Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM)
• 125' Active Class Patrol Boat (WSC)
• 110' Calumet Class Harbor Tug (WYTM)
• 110' Apalachee Class Harbor Tug (WYT)
• 93' Cape Class Patrol Boat (WPB)
• 82' Point class cutter (WPB)

See also

• List of United States Coast Guard cutters

Notes