United States Coast Guard Cutter is the term used by the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

for its commissioned vessels. They are or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard. They carry the

ship prefix A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/n ...

USCGC.

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 Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mast ...

and bowsprit, with a gaff mainsail on a

boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

, a square yard and

topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...

, and two

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsails ...

s or a jib and a

staysail A staysail ("stays'l") is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose Sail components#Edges, luff can be affixed to a stays (nautical), stay running forward (and most often but not always downwards) from a mast (sailing), mast to the deck (ship), deck, the b ...

." With general usage, that term came to define any vessel of the United Kingdom's HM Customs and Excise 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.

First ten cutters

In 1790, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Treasury,

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

, to create a maritime service to enforce customs laws (1 Stat. L. 145, 175; 4 August 1790). Alternatively known as the system of cutters, Revenue Service, and Revenue-Marine this service was officially named the Revenue Cutter Service (12 Stat. L., 639) in 1863. This service was placed under the control of the Treasury Department. The first ten cutters were: USRC Massachusetts (1791)

* 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

*460' Polar Security Cutter (WMSP) *420' Icebreaker ''Healy'' (WAGB) *418' National Security Cutter (WMSL) *399' Polar-class icebreaker (WAGB) *360' Offshore Patrol Cutter (WMSM) *295' (WIX) *282' Edenton-class salvage and rescue ship, converted to Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) *270' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) *240' (WLBB) *225' Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB) *210' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) *175' Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM) *160' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC) *154' Sentinel-class cutter (WPC) *140'

Bay-class icebreaking tug The Bay-class tugboat is a class of icebreaking tugboats of the United States Coast Guard, with hull numbers WTGB-101 through to WTGB-109. They can proceed through fresh water ice up to thick, and break ice up to thick, through ramming. Th ...

(WTGB) *110' Island-class patrol boat (WPB) *100' Inland Buoy Tender (WLI) *100' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC) * 87'

Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat 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 ...

(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

*378'

High endurance cutter The designation of high endurance cutter (WHEC) was created in 1965 when the United States Coast Guard adopted its own designation system. High endurance cutters encompass the largest cutters previously designated by the United States Navy as ...

(WHEC) *327' (WPG) *311' (WAVP) *306' (WDE) *269' (WAGB) *255' *250' *240' *230' Light Icebreaker, redesignated Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) *213' *213' Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) *205' , converted to (WAT) cutter, redesignated ( WMEC) *180' Seagoing buoy tender (WLB) *180' Oceanographic vessel (WAGO) *165' *165' *165' *157' (WLM) *133' (WLM) *125' (WSC) *123' Patrol boat (Deepwater Modified) ( WPB) *110' (WYTM) *110' (WYTM) *110' (WYTM) * 95' (WPB) * 82' (WPB)

Notes

{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries Ship types Ship prefixes