USCGC Gallatin WHEC -721 (378), USCGC Rockaway WHEC-377 (311), and USCGC Spencer WHEC-36 (327) moored at Governor’s Island, New York
Back in 2012, I did a little comparison between the Cutter Acquisition Program of Record and the Fleet it would nominally replace. Full replacement is still many years away (about 2038), but we do know a lot more now, than we did at that time, so here is an update.
The Benchmark Fleet: The fleet of 2000/2001 looked like this (displacement in tons full load, comparing only the larger patrol vessels):
Class Displacement x Number = Total Displacement
378s 3050 tons x 12 = 36,600 tons
270s 1780 tons x 13 = 23,140 tons
210s 1050 tons x 16 = 16,800 tons
Alex Haley 2929 tons x 1 = 2,929 tons
Storis 1916 tons x 1 = 1,916 tons
Acushnet 1746 tons x 1 = 1,746 tons
110s 155 tons x 49 = 7,595 tons
Total 93 vessels, 90,726 tons
(Three 180 foot WLBs of about 1,000 tons each, that had been converted to WMECs were also decommissioned about this time.)
The Fleet Today: Threre are perhaps as many as 27 Island class WPBs still in commission. At least 22 of the original 49 are no longer in USCG service. There are probably considerably fewer than 27 active USCG Island class. I would guess about 19 remain.
Looking only at the Webber class and larger cutters:
Class Displacement x Number = Total Displacement
NSC 4500 tons x 8 = 36,000 tons
270s 1780 tons x 13 = 23,140 tons
210s 1050 tons x 14 = 14,700 tons
Alex Haley 2929 tons x 1 = 2,929 tons
FRC 353 tons x 45 = 15,885 tons
Total 81 vessels, 92,654 tons
To this we might add however many 110s are still available, but certainly no more than 27 vessels totalling 4,185 tons.
We are down to 36 large patrol cutters (=>1,000 tons full load), the same number expected to make up the future fleet, but they are individually less capable, and fewer than the 40 plus the Coast Guard has historically generally employed since WWII.
Looking back at my old Janes Fighting Ships and Combat Fleets of the World, the number of large patrol cutters were: 44 (82/83), 48 (86/87), 48 (90/91), 44 (2000/01), 39 (2013).
Fortunately, the Webber class have proven capable of performing some missions that previously would have been performed by larger cutters.
The Future Fleet (2038):
Class Displacement x Number = Total Displacement
NSC 4500 tons x 11 = 49,500 tons
OPC 4500 tons x 25 = 112,500 tons
FRC 353 tons x 64 = 22,592 tons
Total 100 vessels, 184,592 tons
Implications:
We will end up with more ships if the current plan is completed. In 2012 I expected the total displacement of the replacement fleet would exceed the displacement of the benchmark fleet by 34.44%, instead it is up an additional 65,618 tons, more than doubling displacement of the fleet in 2000. Only 15,618 tons of the increase was due to the three additional NSCs and six additional FRCs. Most of the increase was due to the surprisingly high displacement of the OPCs.
The large cutters (NSCs and OPCs) will be much more capable than those they replace, particularly compared to the 210s. They will handle rough weather better. Crews will be more comfortable and better rested, which can translate into better performance. In most respects, not only the NSCs, but also the OPCs, are more capable than the 378s.
The larger, more capable cutters will require larger, more expensive support facilities, more dock space, deeper berths, and larger dry docks for maintenance.
We have seen a tendency to base groups of the same class ships together. We will see fewer instances of ports with only one cutter homeported there. Fewer ports will be home to large cutters.
The fleet will still be much smaller than the last Fleet Mix analysis indicated it needed to be, to meet all the Coast Guard’s statutory obligations. Those obligations still seem to be growing.
36 ships, no matter how capable, are still only 36 ships. I still see a need for Cutter X, a simple but seaworthy ship of 1,500 to 2,500 tons that can be procured in quantity.