USCGC Sea Dragon

USCGC Sea Dragon (WPB-87367) is a Marine Protector-class cutter, that is assigned to one of two special Maritime Force Protection Units.[1][2][3] Each unit is assigned to escort nuclear submarines from one the United States Navy's two main submarine bases. Sea Dragon was assigned to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.

A grey tarpaulin covers the Sea Dragon's advanced remote control mount for its extra machine gun.
History
United States
Name: USCGC Sea Dragon
Builder: Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
Commissioned: January 2008
Homeport: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Status: in active service
General characteristics
Class and type: Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat
Displacement: 91 long tons (92 t)
Length: 87 ft 0 in (26.5 m)
Beam: 19 ft 5 in (5.9 m)
Draft: 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Propulsion: 2 × MTU diesels
Speed: 25 knots (46 km/h)
Range: 900 nmi (1,700 km)
Endurance: 3 days
Complement: 10
Armament: 3 × .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns

Sea Dragon was commissioned in January 2008.[3] She was joined by a sister ship, USCGC Sea Dog, in May, 2009.[4] The unit included an assortment of smaller Coast Guard boats. A similar unit escorts submarines near Bangor, Washington.

Design

Marine Protector-class cutters are 87 feet (27 m) long.[5][6] Their maximum speed is 25 knots (46 km/h). All the cutters carry a water-jet propelled fast pursuit boat. The boats can be launched or retrieved without bringing the mothership to a complete halt. The standard Marine Protector is armed with a pair of fifty caliber Browning M2 machine gun, that mount on pintles, on the port and starboard rail of the foredeck. But for Sea Dragon, and the other three vessels ordered for the Navy, a third machine gun was added, mounted on a pedestal, in the middle of the foredeck. The third machine gun is equipped with advanced optics, is gyrostabilized, and its gunner uses remote controls - making it much more accurate, at long range, when fired from a heaving deck, at night, or in a fog.[7][8]

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References
  1. "Coast Guard commissions Sea Dragon: Cutter designed to protect submarines coming into or out of Kings Bay" (PDF). Periscope magazine. 2008-01-24. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  2. "Kings Bay Now..." (PDF). Periscope magazine. 2008-07-31. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  3. "Coast Guard to Commission Cutter Sea Dragon". Coast Guard News. 2008-01-11. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  4. "Coast Guard Cutter Sea Dog to arrive in Kings Bay". Coast Guard News. 2009-05-22. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  5. Chuck Hill (2012-10-29). "Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Units". Chuck Hill's blog. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2018-10-02. The units are perhaps unique in that they have only a single mission, and they are funded by the Navy. They protect Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines while they transit on the surface, to and from their homeports. The possibility of a USS Cole style attack motivated their creation. Each unit consist of approximately 200 Coasties and is commanded by an O-5. Having CG crews and carrying CG colors and markings allows them to enforce a security zone around the subs. Both units stood up in July 2007.
  6. HMC James T. Flynn Jr., USNR(ret) (2014-06-23). "U. S. Coast Guard: Small Cutters and Patrol Boats 1915 - 2012" (PDF). US Coast Guard. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2018-10-03. The four boats which are stationed at Kitsap, WA and Kings Bay, GA submarine bases have an extra remotely operated 50 cal. m.g.
  7. Ed Friedrich (2008-06-20), Enlisting a Coast Guard Cutter to Protect Navy Subs, Kitsap Sun, archived from the original on 2016-10-02, A second 87-foot cutter, the Sea Fox, is being built and will be added next year.
  8. "Bollinger Shipyards delivers final Marine Protector-class CPB". Industry News. 2009-05-13. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-03. We're very sad to see the Sea Fox leave. This contract was supposed to end at 51 vessels, and now we're at 75," said Christopher Bollinger, executive vice president of new construction. "We're excited to see the workmanship continue as we start the next contract for 36 boats.
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