Famous Class
Medium Endurance Cutter

"Famous-class cutters are primarily assigned law enforcement, defense operations, and search-and-rescue missions. Their law enforcement missions have included drug and illegal immigrant operations and fisheries enforcement activities.1"

 U.S.C.G. Famous Class Medium Endurance Cutter, Cape Cod Canal, Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA
U.S.C.G. Famous Class Medium Endurance Cutter, Cape Cod Canal, Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA

"The installed Mark75/76 mm fully automatic gun system can fire at a rate of 80 rounds per minute. The gun system is controlled by the MK 92 fire control system capable of tracking and engaging both surface and high speed air targets. ...

The Shipboard Command Control (SCCS) system is a computer driven system that uses radar, LORAN, GPS, and worldwide charting. The SCCS system interfaces all of cutter's sensors into one unit for quick access and reliability.1"

"To aid in the Coast Guard's peacetime law enforcement and search and rescue missions, they are able to land, launch, and service the HH-65A Dolphin helicopter, and in the time of war, they can also carry the Navy's LAMPS I or LAMPS III helicopter. An HH-65 "Dolphin" helicopter and a five-person AVDET (Aviation Detachment) crew usually deploy for search and rescue (SAR) and law enforcement (LE) missions. ...

The cutters have two small boats onboard that are used for Marine Law Enforcement Boardings, and high sea SAR. The two boats are the 26-foot Motor Surf Boat, and the 19-foot Rigid Hull inflatable Boat.1"

U.S.C.G. Famous Class Medium Endurance Cutter, Cape Cod Canal, Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA
U.S.C.G. Famous Class Medium Endurance Cutter, Cape Cod Canal, Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA Famous Class Medium Endurance Cutter Specifications1

Hull TypeMonohull
Length270 feet
Beam38 feet
Draft14.5 feet
Displacement1,800 tons
Crew100
PropulsionTwin turbo-charged ALCO V-18 diesel engines with twin 9-foot diameter controllable pitch propellers
Speed19 knots
Range9,900 nautical miles
Armament 1 OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun, 2 x .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun

Find out more about the Famous class medium endurance cutter at these links.

GlobalSecurity.org article

Wikipedia article

Military.com article

Sources:
1 GlobalSecurity.org web article on the Famous class medium endurance cutter ‹http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/wmec-270.htm›.
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