USCGC ''Penobscot Bay'' (WTGB 107) is the seventh of nine
United States 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, mult ...
140-foot
Bay-class icebreaking tugs. Homeported in
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...
, the primary missions of ''Penobscot Bay'' and her crew are Domestic Icebreaking and Ports, Waterways, & Coastal Security. During the winter months, ''Penobscot Bay'' is responsible for providing search and rescue capabilities to the ice-covered areas in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and the
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
, as well as throughout coastal
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. The cutter also facilitates the safe navigation of commercial product, including gasoline and heating oil, through the ice-choked Hudson River from New York City to
Albany. All Bay-class cutters, including Penobscot Bay, use a low-pressure-air hull lubrication or bubbler system that forces air and water between the hull and ice. This system improves icebreaking capabilities by reducing resistance against the hull, reducing horsepower requirements.
In addition to ice breaking, ''Penobscot Bay'' is heavily involved in providing waterside security for the port of New York/New Jersey, the busiest port on the East Coast. ''Penobscot Bay'' is also responsible for monitoring vessel traffic, enforcing boating regulations for recreational and commercial vessels, and acting as lead security for high-profile events in the port.
[ ]
''Penobscot Bay'' is crewed by 17 personnel, consisting of 14 enlisted members and 3 officers. She was built by Bay City Marine in Tacoma, WA, keel was laid on 1 July 1983, launched on 30 July 1984, and commissioned on 4 January 1985. Her overall length is 140 feet with a beam of 37 feet, displacing 662 tons.
References
External links
USCGC ''Penobscot Bay'' Official Facebook
Bay-class icebreaking tugs
1984 ships
Ships built in San Diego
{{US-mil-ship-stub