Medium Endurance Cutter
The Medium endurance cutter or WMEC is a type of United States Coast Guard cutter mainly consisting of the 270-foot Famous- and 210-foot Reliance-class cutters. These larger cutters are under control of Area Commands (Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). These cutters have adequate accommodations for crew to live on board and can do 6 to 8 week patrols.
Other ships in the classification are the 282-foot (86 m) USCGC Alex Haley, 213-foot (65 m) USCGC Acushnet, and the now-decommissioned 230-foot (70 m) USCGC Storis.
There are 13 vessels in the Famous class, and 14 vessels in the Reliance class. The Coast Guard plans to eventually phase out both of these cutters and replace them with the Offshore Patrol Cutter as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program.
| Builders: | Robert Derecktor Shipyard Inc.,Middletown, Rhode Island Tacoma Boatbuilding Company,Tacoma, Washington |
| Operators: | United States Coast Guard |
| Built: | 1979–1989 |
| In commission: | 1983–present |
| Completed: | 13 |
| Active: | 13 |
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Displacement: | 1,800 long tons (1,829 t) |
| Length: | 270 ft (82 m) |
| Beam: | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Draft: | 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m) |
| Installed power: | 2 × Caterpillar V12 diesel generators |
| Propulsion: | 2 × turbo-charged ALCO V-18 diesel engines 2 × 9-foot-diameter (2.7 m) controllable pitch propellers |
| Speed: | 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) |
| Range: | 9,900 nmi (18,300 km; 11,400 mi) |
| Complement: | 100 (14 officers, 86 enlisted) |
| Armament: | 1 × OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun 2 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns |
| Aviation facilities: | Helipad |
Famous-class cutter
The Famous-class vessels have hull numbers in the range WMEC-901 through WMEC-913. Entering service in the 1980s, the Famous-class cutters, designed as replacements for the 327-foot (100 m) Treasury-class cutters and their mission profile, emphasized law enforcement, particularly patrolling the newly established 200-mile (320 km) exclusive economic zone.
Ships in class
| Hull Number | Name | Status |
|---|---|---|
| WMEC-901 | Bear | Active |
| WMEC-902 | Tampa | Active |
| WMEC-903 | Harriet Lane | Active |
| WMEC-904 | Northland | Active |
| WMEC-905 | Spencer | Active |
| WMEC-906 | Seneca | Active |
| WMEC-907 | Escanaba | Active |
| WMEC-908 | Tahoma | Active |
| WMEC-909 | Campbell | Active |
| WMEC-910 | Thetis | Active |
| WMEC-911 | Forward | Active |
| WMEC-912 | Legare | Active |
| WMEC-913 | Mohawk | Active |
Reliance-class cutter
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | American Ship Building Company,Lorain, Ohio] U.S. Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, Maryland |
| Operators: | United States Coast Guard Sri Lanka Navy Colombian Navy Coast Guard |
| Built: | 1962–1968 |
| In commission: | 1964–present |
| Completed: | 16 |
| Active: | 16 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,127.2 long tons (1,145 t) full load |
| Length: | 210 ft 6 in (64.16 m) LOA 200 ft (61 m) LWL |
| Beam: | 34 ft (10 m) |
| Draft: | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 2,500 hp (1,864 kW) diesel engines |
| Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Range: | 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement: | 75 |
| Armament: | 1 × 25 mm chain gun 2 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns |
| Aviation facilities: | Helipad |
The Reliance-class vessels have hull numbers in the range WMEC-615 through WMEC-630. Entering service between 1964 and 1969, the Reliance-class cutters were meant to replace the 165-foot (50 m) cutters of the Prohibition era and were the first major cutter replacement project since the 255-foot (78 m) Owasco-class cutters from World War II.
Ships in class
| Hull Number | Name | Status |
|---|---|---|
| WMEC-615 | Reliance | Active |
| WMEC-616 | Diligence | Active |
| WMEC-617 | Vigilant | Active |
| WMEC-618 | Active | Active |
| WMEC-619 | Confidence | Active |
| WMEC-620 | Resolute | Active |
| WMEC-621 | Valiant | Active |
| WMEC-622 | Courageous | Decommissioned |
| WMEC-623 | Steadfast | Active |
| WMEC-624 | Dauntless | Active |
| WMEC-625 | Venturous | Active |
| WMEC-626 | Dependable | Active |
| WMEC-627 | Vigorous | Active |
| WMEC-628 | Durable | Decommissioned |
| WMEC-629 | Decisive | Active |
| WMEC-630 | Alert | Active |
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