USCGC ''Sturgeon Bay'' (WTGB 109) is the newest of the

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 ...

Bay-class cutters. 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 ''Sturgeon Bay'' and her crew are Domestic Icebreaking and Ports, Waters, & Coastal Security. During the winter months, ''Sturgeon 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 The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

from New York City to Albany. All Bay-class cutters, including ''Sturgeon 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, ''Sturgeon Bay'' is heavily involved in providing waterside security for the port of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, the busiest port on the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

. ''Sturgeon 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. ''Sturgeon Bay'' is crewed by 18 personnel, consisting of 15 enlisted members and 3 officers. She was built by Bay City Marine in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, launched on 12 September 1987, and commissioned on 20 August 1988. Her overall length is 140 feet with a beam of 37 feet, displacing 662 tons.

References

External links

USCGC ''Sturgeon Bay'' home page

Engine information
Bay-class icebreaking tugs 1987 ships Ships built in San Diego {{US-mil-ship-stub

See also

References

External links