USCGC Harriet Lane arrives Pearl Harbor. USCG Photo.
Below is a news release from CG News (more photos there). As part of the prototype SLEP, her 76mm Mk75 gun and Mk92 fire control system have been removed. The AN/SLQ-32 has been retained. It appears there are now additional communications antenna in place of the fire control system, and a 25mm Mk38 gun weapon system is mounted on a bandstand in place of the 76mm.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane arrives at new homeport in Pearl Harbor
HONOLULU – U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) and crew arrived at its new homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Wednesday, after transiting more than 8,000 nautical miles over 36-days from Portsmouth, Virginia.
The Harriet Lane is U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area’s newest Indo-Pacific support cutter and spent more than 15 months in a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) in Baltimore, Maryland, to prepare for the transition in missions and operations. Following reconstitution of the crew in July and returning to Portsmouth in August, the crew went through an extensive dockside period, ensuring the cutter was ready for the transit from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
“Re-homeporting U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane is indicative of the Coast Guard’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific – the most dynamic region in the world,” said Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, deputy commander, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area. “Harriet Lane will work by, with, and through allies and partners within the Indo-Pacific region to promote capacity building and model good maritime governance.”
“The crew and I look forward to building partnerships in Oceania to enhance our capabilities, strengthen maritime governance and security while promoting individual sovereignty,” said Cmdr. Nicole Tesoniero, commanding officer of the Harriet Lane. “We plan to build upon many decades of enduring support, operating in concert with the needs of our partners.”
Harriet Lane and crew departed Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, November 2023, and during the transit, the crew conducted trainings for upcoming operations along with professional development for crewmembers. Harriet Lane transited through the Panama Canal, and had port calls in Golfito, Costa Rica and San Diego.
Harriet Lane, commissioned in 1984, is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter now homeported in Honolulu to support Coast Guard missions in the Pacific region. The service’s medium endurance cutter fleet supports a variety of Coast Guard missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, maritime defense, and protection of the marine environment.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Do you know why the 76mm being replaced by a puny 25mm instead of a 57mm or at least a 30mm? I can think of several possibilities:
1) Is it a matter of wanting to free up deck space for other purposes?
2) Is it to save weight? But I can’t imagine a few tons would make much difference on an 1,800 ton cutter.
3) Or is it an availability issue — there were no 57mm or 30mm in inventory, but the Navy had a lot of surplus 25mm guns lying around that they didn’t need for Navy ships?
4) Or is it just a cost-saving issue, the Navy not wanting to invest the money to purchase and install a brand-new gun on an older Coast Guard cutter? (I’ve heard the Navy pays for the Coast Guard’s main guns).
I’m guessing it’s probably #3 and #4, maybe a little bit of #1 too.
Thoughts?
Frankly, I think it is just because it requires less support.
In loosing the Mk92 we also loose any airsearch capabilities and at least some helo controlled approach capability.
I am surprised they retained the SLQ-32, but perhaps they wanted to retain the intell collection capabilities it provides.
This is an almost 40 year old cutter and the probability of it getting into combat appears small, but I would feel a lot safer facing down China CG cutters, if they couldn’t outrange me and I had the ability to fight back if they decided to shoot at me.
Completely agree! The Navy doesn’t want to spend the $$$ for a 57mm on a 40-year-old Cutter. I would have felt better with at least a 30mm Mk38 Mod4 but clearly that’s not happening either.
The Furuno radars provide both surface search and some helicopter approach control capability.
The SLQ-32 provides ample threat analysis and warning and is still tied to the Mk36 chaff system, but I don’t think it has a jamming capability.
One thing about buying 57mm for old cutters is that the gun does not have to go away when the cutter is decommissioned. The gun could be removed and put on a new OPC, but we never seem to think this way. I was really a bit pissed when I saw 5″ guns going down with Spruance class destroyers used as targets. We should have recycled them to the OPCs.
She is listing to port.
That bothered me too.
Homeported at Pearl instead of Sand Island? No thanks. I guess there’s no more room at Sand Island.
From MyCG
https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3643887/media-advisory-us-coast-guard-cutter-harriet-lane-to-hold-home-port-shift-cerem/
PRESS RELEASE | Jan. 12, 2024
MEDIA ADVISORY: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane to hold home port shift ceremony
Who: Adm. Steven Poulin, vice commandant, U.S. Coast Guard; Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area; Cmdr. Nicole Tesoniero, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903)
What: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) and crew home port shift ceremony
Where: Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, 1000 North Rd, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96860
When: Tuesday, January 16 at 9 a.m.
Editor’s Note: Media should RSVP by Monday, January 15 by 12 p.m. to Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Fisher at ryan.m.fisher@uscg.mil
The Harriet Lane is U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area’s newest Indo-Pacific support cutter and spent more than 15 months in a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) in Baltimore, Maryland, to prepare for the transition in missions and operations. Following reconstitution of the crew in July and returning to Portsmouth in August, the crew went through an extensive dockside period, ensuring the cutter was ready for the transit from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
The Coast Guard plans to use the medium endurance cutter as an addition to a Hawai‘i-based fleet for responsibilities in Hawai‘i waters as well as an increasing Coast Guard presence throughout the Indo-Pacific and Oceania. The ship is especially suited for longer-range six-to-eight week joint operational and training patrols in the Pacific, taking pressure off shorter range Hawai‘i-based ships more suited to service closer to home port.
Harriet Lane, commissioned in 1984, is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter now homeported in Honolulu to support Coast Guard missions in the Pacific region. The service’s medium endurance cutter fleet supports a variety of Coast Guard missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, maritime defense, and protection of the marine environment.”
Good overview of how it is going.
Coast Guard Navigates Bureaucracy in Fight Against Illegal Fishing | Military.com
PRESS RELEASE | March 15, 2024U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane reaches midway point of Operation Blue Pacific Patrol in Australia
CAIRNS, Australia – U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) and crew arrived in Cairns, Australia, Thursday, marking the midway point of the cutter’s inaugural Operation Blue Pacific patrol, which strengthens the U.S. Coast Guard’s relations with partners in Oceania.
Harriet Lane and crew departed Pearl Harbor in January 2024 for Operation Blue Pacific and have since traveled more than 8,600 nautical miles with port calls in American Samoa, Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu and Australia, working alongside partner nations in Oceania. Operation Blue Pacific has allowed the Harriet Lane crew to work alongside partners with each nation’s unique expertise enhancing maritime governance architectures. The U.S. Coast Guard, using assets like Harriet Lane, will continue to serve allies and partners by engaging with local technical experts for exchanges, joint patrols, and bolstering capacity thus promoting a model of stability in the maritime environment.
Notable activities while assisting partner nations included 23 boardings of vessels fishing in exclusive economic zones (EEZ). Through bilateral law enforcement agreements, the U.S. Coast Guard is able to provide opportunity and capability for partner nations to enforce their laws. The embarked shiprider makes the determination of which vessels to board within their EEZ and identifies whether a violation has occurred. These operations are focused on increasing our partner nations’ capabilities and maritime domain awareness while promoting sovereignty to deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
“Having shipriders aboard from the Pacific Island countries has proved to be invaluable,” said Lt. Channing Meyer, Harriet Lane operations officer and Operation Blue Pacific lead planner. “We are working alongside our partners in the Oceania region to ensure those countries are upholding their maritime sovereignty and those fishing in their EEZs are upholding maritime rules.”
During Harriet Lane’s port calls, the crew participated in numerous engagements with local communities in the region, which included subject matter exchanges, school visits and several tours of Harriet Lane with partner nations’ fisheries departments and marine police officers.
“I am incredibly proud of what the crew has accomplished thus far,” said Cmdr. Nicole Tesoniero, commanding officer of Harriet Lane. “Harriet Lane’s continued presence in the Pacific is a testament to our decades long support and adaptability to the evolving needs of our regional partners. We’re not just operating in the region; we’re integrating our efforts with the aspirations and needs of those we serve alongside. We are excited to host Australian Border Force shipriders on Harriet Lane as this will expand our knowledge base as we continue to strengthen these critical partnerships.”
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers embarked on Harriet Lane for the Vanuatu to Australia leg and the Australia to Papua New Guinea leg, from early to mid-March.
“The shiprider program promotes cooperation and information sharing between the two agencies and demonstrates a commitment to maritime security in the region,” said Deputy Commander Maritime Border Command, ABF Commander Neil Horne. “The Pacific faces an increasingly intricate and interconnected series of maritime threats, including Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF), people smuggling and human trafficking, and other Transnational Serious Organised Crime.”
“A collaborative approach to civil maritime security is essential to tackle these threats,” said Horne. “Our partnerships in the region are often the first line of defence in the Pacific maritime zones, which are a critical resource for economic growth, prosperity and national identity.”
About the U.S. Coast Guard in the Pacific
The U.S. Coast Guard 14th District, based out of Honolulu, Hawaii, continues to foster enduring partnerships with regional allies through Operation Blue Pacific, an overarching multi-mission Coast Guard endeavor to promote security, safety, sovereignty, and economic prosperity in Oceania. With humanitarian Service at its core, the U.S. Coast Guard remains committed to maritime safety, security, and stewardship, solidifying its longstanding reputation in the Pacific as a trusted partner.
About USCGC Harriet Lane
Commissioned in 1984, Harriet Lane is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to support Coast Guard missions in the Pacific region. The service’s medium endurance cutter fleet supports a variety of Coast Guard missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, maritime defense, and protection of the marine environment.