EVERETT – A versatile new U.S. Coast Guard vessel is scheduled to pull into Naval Station Everett today to become the eighth military vessel permanently based here.
The USCG Cutter Blue Shark is an 87-foot coastal patrol boat capable of search-and-rescue missions, fishery patrols, law enforcement functions and drug interdiction duties up to 200 miles offshore.
The cutter caries a crew of 10 and can achieve continuous speeds of more than 25 miles per hour. The average patrol speed is about 10 miles per hour.
The new vessel is scheduled for commissioning in August at the naval station.
A feature of the cutter’s design is a boat launch and recovery system in the stern that allows inflatable boats to drive onto the cutter or be launched from it while moving, increasing the safety of the system.
The naval station also is home to the Coast Guard’s Henry Blake, a buoy tender, and the USNS Shasta, a supply vessel that spends more time at sea than it does in port.
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