U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Charly Tautfest)
Below is a Coast Guard news release.
These Pacific deployments are starting to become routine, but Harriet Lane only arrived in their new homeport, Pearl Harbor, December 13, 2023, and completed her first Pacific patrol April 9, 2024.
Over the last two days I was able to talk to the leadership at the Coast Guard Yard. There will be more about that later, but there was some discussion about the Harriet Lane. She was intended to be the second prototype WMEC270 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) prototype, with electronic and electrical services improvements and replacement of the gun and fire control with the 25mm Mk38, but while in the yard they learned that the ship would change homeport, to somewhere in the Pacific. This prompted additional improvements in habitability and environmental controls, 57 additional work items in total. Despite the expanded scope of work, she was delivered on time.
The rationale for the removal of the 76mm and Mk92 fire control system was that the Navy was no longer supporting either system. The systems were becoming unsupportable. Nevertheless, looks like we will have 76mm and Mk92 on WMEC270s until 2035 unless they also decide to remove the systems from 270s that will not go through SLEP. (That is a question I probably should have asked.) Meanwhile the Coast Guard Yard has a 76mm support facility that does work for foreign services as well as the US Coast Guard. (Removal of these systems would also reduce manning requirements.)
L3 Harris Mk20 mod1 Electro Optic Sensor System. (Picture source Navy Recognition)
If the Mk92 is the real problem, it might be replaced by the L3 Harris Mk20 electro-optic system, also used on the NSC and OPC. The Mk20 could provide better anti-surface fire control than the Mk38 Mod3’s on mount systems. It would also provide an additional search sensor.
Editors’ Note: Click here to download video.
HONOLULU – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) returned to Honolulu Friday following a 68-day patrol in support of Coast Guard District Fourteen’s Operation Blue Pacific in Oceania.
The Harriet Lane crew departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in June and traveled more than 13,400 nautical miles spanning from the Hawaiian Islands to Tonga. Patrolling in support of Operation Blue Pacific, the cutter’s crew worked alongside Pacific Island Countries to forge and advance relationships with like-minded allies and partners who share a common vision for maritime governance.
The crew’s efforts included enhancing maritime domain awareness, combatting illegal fishing activities across Oceania, and participating in exercises to bolster partner capacity and interoperability. Leveraging bilateral maritime law enforcement agreements with Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands, the Harriet Lane crew conducted six boardings alongside Pacific Island partners in their respective exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Additionally, Harriet Lane law enforcement teams conducted four fishery boardings on the high seas in concert with the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
During Harriet Lane’s patrol, the crew made port calls in Tonga, American Samoa, Samoa, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. While offshore Niue, the Harriet Lane crew hosted key leaders for a maritime roundtable discussion, offered local high students a tour of the cutter, and sent personnel ashore to assist with community service endeavors.
While transiting home, the Harriet Lane crew conducted the medevac of a 53-year-old fishing vessel crewman experiencing stroke-like symptoms approximately 480 miles offshore Oahu.
“This patrol was another resounding success for the crew of Harriet Lane and reinforces the Coast Guard’s commitment to delivering as a trusted partner across Oceania,” said Cmdr. Nicole Tesoniero, commanding officer, Cutter Harriet Lane. “This patrol took us to the far reaches of the South Pacific that most crew could have never dreamed of seeing and they continue to serve as model ambassadors for our unique mission set. In the final days of our patrol, Harriet Lane answered the call to render aid to a local fisherman in need of medical assistance nearly 500 miles from Oahu. While every aspect of this mission is incredibly rewarding, the knowledge that we were able to assist a member of the local community in a moment of need truly resonated with the crew. I am proud of their tremendous commitment to operational success and look forward to watching Harriet Lane’s impact continue to grow.”
Commissioned in 1984, Cutter Harriet Lane is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter 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 