[Scan-DC] Coast Guard Starts Patrol of Potomac

[b_thom@juno.com]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48665-2002Sep6.html

>>
Coast Guard Starts Patrol of Potomac 
First 'Homeland Security' Boat Has Machine Gun Mounts, Fits Under Low
Bridges

By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 7, 2002; Page A09 

A U.S. Coast Guard boat with twin machine gun mounts began patrolling the
Anacostia and Potomac rivers yesterday, the first time in decades the
Coast Guard has permanently stationed a boat in the Washington area.

The vessel, 25 feet long with a crew of four, was unveiled yesterday
morning at a ceremony near Coast Guard national headquarters in
Southwest. Dubbed a "homeland security" boat, it cost about $175,000 and
is the first of 26 such vessels the Coast Guard plans to have across the
country, according to Cmdr. Jim McPherson, a Coast Guard spokesman.

....
Along with an older, slower 41-foot vessel that will be used for backup,
the new boat will be docked at an undisclosed local military
installation, he said.

....
The boat also has two 225-horsepower engines with a top speed of 44 knots
-- the equivalent of about 51 miles per hour. Its very low clearance
allows the boat to slide under low bridges, and it is built to venture
into shallow water. 

....
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The picture in the print edition shows that the hull number is 255009.
Kind of a strange looking affair - like a fiberglass inflatable raft.