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).