The crews of the Coast Guard Cutters Midgett (WMSL 757) and Kimball (WMSL 756) transit past Koko Head on Oahu, Hawaii, Aug. 16, 2019. The Kimball and Midgett are both homeported in Honolulu. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew West/Released)
I published a list of homeports in 2022. Maybe it’s time for another. Let’s take a look at where they are now and see what has changed.
Since the Coast Guard does not seem to have a consolidated listing of ships and their homeports, and the District lists are sometimes incomplete, I relied on the Navy League’s 2026 Almanac for the information that follows. I think it is correct.
THE FORCE LAYDOWN:
NE DISTRICT: 2 WMEC270s
- Newport, RI: Tahoma (908), Legare (912)
East DISTRICT: 8 WMEC270s, 3 WMEC210s
- Portsmouth, VA: 8 WMEC270s, 2 WMEC210s: Bear (901), Tampa (902), Northland (904), Spencer (905), Seneca (906), Escanaba (907), Campbell (909), Forward (911), Resolute (620), Venturous (625)
- Virginia Beach, VA: WMEC210: Dependable (626)
SE DISTRICT: 4 National Security Cutters, 2 WMEC270s, 2 WMEC210s
- Charleston, SC: 4 NSCs: Hamilton (753), James (754), Stone (758), Calhoun (759)
- Cape Canaveral: 2 WMEC210s: Vigilant (617), Alert (630)
- Key West: 2 WMEC270s: Thetis (910), Mohawk (913)
Heartland DISTRICT: 2 WMEC210s
- Pensacola: Reliance (615), Diligence (616),
SW DISTRICT: 4 National Security Cutters
- Alameda, CA: 4 NSCs: Bertholf (750), Waesche (751), Stratton (752), Munro (755)
NW DISTRICT: one WMEC210
- Port Angeles, WA: Active (618)
Oceania DISTRICT: 2 National Security Cutters, one WMEC270
- Honolulu, HI: Kimball (756), Midgett (757), Harriett Lane (903)
Arctic DISTRICT: 1 WMEC283
- Kodiak, AK: Alex Haley (WMEC-39)
What has changed?
When the Program of record was devised the Coast Guard had 47 large patrol cutters and planned to replace them with 33 ships, 8 NSCs and 25 OPCs.
In the last four years the Coast Guard has gone from 37 large patrol cutters to 32, with the loss of six WMEC210s and the addition of one National security cutters. There are now 8 WMEC210s instead of 14 and 10 NSCs in addition to 13 WMEC270s and USCGC Alex Haley.
Atlantic Area has gone from 27 large patrol cutters to 23 and PAC area from 10 to nine.
I still think there is something out of balance when PACAREA, which has 84% of the US EEZ, has less than a third of the large longer ranged patrol cutters. The first four OPCs are supposed to go to San Pedro, CA, Kodiak, AK, but if they replace the current three PACAREA WMECs, there will still be only nine or ten large patrol cutters in PACAREA until Arctic Security Cutters start to arrive.
When I retired in 1991, PACAREA had ten WHEC378s and several (I think six) WMECs and we were not doing many of the things PACAREA cutters do now.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
The USCG FRC growth has been significant mostly driven IMHO by increased tasking particularly in PACAREA. Soon comes the OPC to displace WMECs. That will grow too IMHO. I was more than just disappointed when the NSC was not replacing Hamilton Class WHECs one-for-one. The OPC is significantly more capable that the WMECs currently in service so they can probably cover the bases.
Distribution of the Webber class WPCs is very much the same as the way the larger cutters are. PACAREA has only about 1/3 of the FRCs. District SE (7th) has as many ships (30) as all of PACAREA and more large ship (10 vs 9).
FRCs work very well for most missions in LANT area because the distances to the patrol areas are relatively short, but PACAREA has generally greater distances.
It does appear that the plan is to add more ship to PACAREA–Arctic Security Cutters, OPCs, and FRCs.
The “Program of Record” included the “Crew Rotation Concept” which would have provided four crews for every three ships so that 33 ships would theoretically have been able to provide as many underway days as had previously required 44.
When we abandoned that idea, it should have immediately triggered a rethinking of the program of record.
The unexpected capability of the Webber class WPCs has helped cover the shortage but their endurance is a problem particularly in the Pacific and they have no organic air support. A UAS may be able to provide the air support they need, but they don’t have the seakeeping and endurance of a medium endurance cutter.
I still see the need for more large patrol cutters and with the increasingly hostile environment, we should make them capable of performing useful service in wartime if we can do it at a reasonable additional cost.
Having just learned that USCGC Venturous and USCGC Resolute have or will soon change homeports to Portsmouth, VA so am going to change the post to reflect this change. https://chuckhillscgblog.net/2026/07/11/coast-guard-cutter-venturous-to-arrive-at-new-homeport-in-portsmouth-resolute-is-moving-too/
Agree that the west lacks coverage with larger cutters. In ’92 when I went to a MEC there were at least 7 MECs and multiple HECs and occasionally black hull 180s pulling a short fishery patrol. Granted the MECs included WWII stock and converted 180s (Clover, Citrus, Acushnet, Yocona, etc) in addition to the 210s in Port Angeles, Astoria and San Pedro, but there always seemed to be one or two on patrol any time of year doing a WA/OR/CA patrol. And we’d bring along an 82/110 for any joint patrols/exercises with the Mexican Navy.