We currently have 61 Webber class in commission with assigned homeports. One FRC, USCGC Benjamin (WPC-1123) was decommissioned after a shipyard fire. Wikipedia shows FRC 1163 will be home-ported in Guam and 1164 in San Pedro. This leaves us with 13 ships, 1165-1177, with as yet unknown homeports.

Current assignments for each district including the projected homeports for 1163 and 1164, are as follows:

• NE: Boston–6; TOTAL–6
• East: Cape May, NJ–3; Atlantic Beach, NC–2; TOTAL–5
• SE: Miami, FL–6; Key West, FL–6; St. Petersburg, FL–1; San Juan, PR–7; TOTAL–20
• Heartland: Galveston, TX–3; Pascagoula, MS–2; TOTAL–5
• SW: San Pedro, CA–5; TOTAL–5
• NW: Astoria, OR–2; TOTAL–2
• Oceania: Honolulu, HI–3; Santa Rita, Guam–5; TOTAL 8
• Arctic: Ketchikan, AK–3; Kodiak, AK–3; TOTAL–6
• PATFORSWA: Bahrain–6

Only the Great Lakes district has none, but they do have six 140 foot icebreaking tugs that can perform missions similar to those WPC are normally assigned.

A quick look at the list suggests a clear preference for basing in multiples of three, either three or six. Given that boats of the class are expected to be underway 2500 hours a year or about 104 days/year, three boats can keep one boat underway most the year–one in maintenance, one in work-up or standby, and one underway–with only short periods without one of the three underway, including logistics stops to resupply which may be away from home port.

It seems like one more boat will be added where there are currently only two or only 5, Atlantic Beach, Pascagoula, San Pedro, Astoria, and Guam. That would leave 8 without designated homeports.

The NW district is conspicuous as the only district (other than Great Lakes) with so few FRCs, two now but probably three relatively soon. There is a good possibility three will be based in Washington. If so that would leave us with five unassigned.

There have been suggestions the Coast Guard will establish a base in American Samoa. If three FRCs are assigned there, that would leave only two unassigned.

St. Petersburg stands out as the only location with only a single FRC (although two of the FRCs in Alaska are likely to be reassigned to Seward and Sitka). Two more in St Pete would account for all 77 of the currently planned Webber class cutters.

If we get more than currently planned, we might consider basing some in Corpus Christi, the Chesapeake Bay, and/or the San Francisco Bay Area.