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The Coast Guard’s fast response cutters (FRCs) are replacing its Island-class patrol boats, but the FRCs have far greater capabilities than the platform they are replacing.
The Coast Guard’s fast response cutters (FRCs) are replacing its Island-class patrol boats, but the FRCs have far greater capabilities than the platform they are replacing.
U.S. Coast Guard (Brandon Murray)

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Stop Calling it a Patrol Boat

By changing the training, crewing, and organizational setup of fast response cutters, the Coast Guard can unlock the platform’s true potential.
By Lieutenant Commander Steven Baldovsky, U.S. Coast Guard
November 2020
Proceedings
Featured Article
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Comments

Service at sea is not without its hardships, but for a career cutterman, there is nothing quite like the call of the sea. So it was no wonder that during a unit visit, the master chief from headquarters was in high spirits to be out in the fleet. Walking around the fast response cutter (FRC), he eagerly greeted everyone he passed, and when he sat down on the mess deck, he exclaimed, “Ah, patrol boat life, does it get any better?” 

Truthfully, though, the Coast Guard needs to stop calling the FRCs patrol boats.

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1. ALCOAST 214/18—JUN 2018 “Accelerating toward Our Future,” content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/1f45740.

2. CDR Ray Bland, USCG, “Tactical Employment of Surface Effect Ships,” The Bulletin (January–February 1983).

Article Keywords:

  • Coast Guard

Lieutenant Commander Steven Baldovsky, U.S. Coast Guard

Lieutenant Commander Baldovsky is a career cutterman who previously served as commanding officer on board the USCGC Isaac Mayo (WPC-1112) and as Key West FRC Senior Officer Present Afloat (SOPA). 

More Stories From This Author View Biography

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