The ex-U.S. Coast Guard cutter Steadfast arriving at the National Hydrographic Centre, Port Klang on November 4, 2025 (U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur)

Naval News reports,

“The former United States Coast Guard cutter Steadfast arrived in Malaysia on 4 November, completing a 10,600 nautical mile journey from Baltimore to begin its service with Malaysia’s coast guard, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.”

Look at the picture. This ship, the former USCGC Steadfast was commissioned 7 October,  1968. She is over 57 years old and her Malaysian crew has just completed a voyage from Baltimore, across the Atlantic, through the Straits of Gibraltar, across the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, down the length of the Red Sea, through the Gulf of Aden, across the Indian Ocean, and through the Strait of Malacca.

How did that happen? The Coast Guard has been recapitalizing its fleet and as a result a lot of vessels became excess property. Rather than incur the cost of scrapping these now over age ships, the Coast Guard has set up a command at Curtis Bay that works with the Coast Guard Yard to prepare these ships for transfer to the navies and coast guards of friendly nations making sure the ships are seaworthy and the crews are adequately trained.

The twelve Hamilton class cutters have been transferred to five different nations.

Two 210 foot Medium Endurance Cutters, Courageous and Durable, were decommissioned in September 2001. Courageous was transferred to Sri Lanka in 2004 and Durable was transferred to Colombia in 2003. Since March 2023 five more WMEC210s have been decommissioned or placed in “in commission, special” status. Steadfast is the first of these five to be transferred to another user.

“The United States announced at the end of October that it plans to provide another retired cutter to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.”

22 of the Island class WPBs have been transferred to eight different nations including five to Ukraine where at least one was sunk in combat.

9 of the Marine Protector class 87 foot WPBs have been transferred to Lebanon (2), Uraguay (3), Malta (2), and Yemen (2).

I visited the Coast Guard Yard in August 2024 with the intention of writing a post. I was very impressed, but other priorities got in the way. I have regretted not telling their story ever since.

I was told that from March to July 2024 a decommissioned arrived at the yard every nine days.

This is an important story and it deserves more attention.