Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

20 April

1871  The Secretary of the Treasury was authorized by Congress to employ crews of experienced surfmen at lifeboat stations at maximum rate of $40 per month, marking the end of the volunteer system.  This was the beginning of direct Federal control over life-saving activities.

Red River of the North Main Stem, Grand Forks, North Dakota, looking toward Downtown area. Taken from a helicopter during the 1997 Red River Flood, after a levee overtopped and Grand Forks was evacuated. 23 April 1997. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers

1997  Dikes along the Red River in North Dakota gave way causing dangerous floods. The Coast Guard responded to calls for assistance and rescued more than 200 people from danger.

Platform supply vessels battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon. A Coast Guard MH-65C dolphin rescue helicopter and crew document the fire aboard the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, while searching for survivors. Multiple Coast Guard helicopters, planes and cutters responded to rescue the Deepwater Horizon’s 126 person crew. 20 April 2010. US Coast Guard photo.

2010  The Deepwater Horizon oil rig located more than 50 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, suffered massive explosions killing 11 and injuring 16 of its 126 person crew. The oil platform, which burned for more than a day, sank into the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, 2010.  An estimated 60,000 barrels of oil gushed each day for 87 days, making the Deepwater Horizon spill and its response unprecedented.  The Coast Guard mobilized 14% of its total workforce, active duty and reserve, and its role expanded under the National Contingency Plan which called for the service to direct all response efforts to contain and clean up the oil spill. On April 30th, 2010 Admiral Thad Allen, the Coast Guard Commandant, was appointed as the National Incident Commander (NIC) to oversee the federal response.  He retired as Commandant on May 25, 2010, but continued on as NIC in uniform until he formally retired from the Coast Guard on June 30, 2010.  He then continued to serve as NIC (as an SES civilian) until October 1, 2010.

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

April 19

1995  A rental truck filled with explosives blew up half of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Coast Guardsmen from the Coast Guard Institute and a Coast Guard reservist responded soon after the explosion and helped set up security zones, directed traffic, searched for survivors, and whatever else was needed.  They also took over a church kitchen and opened what later became nicknamed “Cafe Coast Guard.”  A rotating nine-person team worked around the clock to provide meals for the volunteer workers.

2014  Coast Guard marine inspectors conducted safety and security examinations on the first-ever container ship to arrive in Cleveland. The Fortunagracht, a 450-foot Dutch-flagged container ship, delivered the first-ever load of containerized cargo to the Great Lakes.  Before the establishment of the Cleveland-Europe Express, shippers relied heavily on rail service to transport goods from the larger east coast container ports, such as New York and Baltimore, to the Great Lakes region.  Talks to bring CEE to Cleveland began in the fall of 2013 with cooperation between the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and other government agencies.

Fortunagracht, a 450-foot Dutch-flagged ship

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

April 18

USRC Louisiana

1805  The cutter Louisiana recaptured the merchant brig Felicity from privateers off the mouth of the Mississippi River.

1945  Airship training for U.S. Coast Guard personnel (nine officers & 30 enlisted men) began at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey.

1993  Coast Guardsman Gary A. Openshaw rescued five persons in danger of drowning near San Francisco off Baker Beach.  For heroically risking his life and saving those five people, the Coast Guard awarded Petty Officer Openshaw the Gold Life-Saving Medal.

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

April 17

USRC Louisiana

1805  The cutter Louisiana engaged two pirate vessels that had been fitted out at New Orleans.  Twenty shots were exchanged but the pirate vessels escaped.

A painting of the original Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse built in 1850

1851  The Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse, the first one built in the United States that was exposed to the full force of the ocean, was swept away by a storm with the loss of the two men manning it.  They were Assistant Keepers Joseph Wilson and Joseph Antoine who maintained their station, ringing the lighthouse’s bell, until waves swept the tower away.

USCGC Spencer (WPG-36) in 1942 or 1943. Spencer sank U-175 with assistance of USCGC Duane, on April 17, 1943.

1943  Lieutenant Ross P. Bullard and Boatswain’s Mate First Class C. S. “Mike” Hall boarded the U-175 at sea after their cutter, CGC Spencer, blasted the U-boat to the surface with depth charges when it attempted to attack the convoy Spencer was escorting.  These Coast Guardsmen were part of a specially trained boarding party sent to board the submarine to seize any code and cipher related documents and equipment they could find.  The damage to the U-boat was severe, however, and it sank after they had boarded it and climbed up the conning tower.  Both men ended up in the sea as the U-boat slipped beneath the waves but were pulled from the water unharmed.  They carry the distinction of being the first American servicemen to board an enemy warship underway at sea since the War of 1812.  The Navy credited Spencer with the U-boat kill.  The cutter rescued 19 of the U-boat’s crew and a sister cutter, CGC Duane, rescued 22.  One Spencer crewman, RM 3/c Julius Petrella, was killed by friendly fire during the battle.

USCG Cmdr Harold S. Berdine of cutter Spencer talking with US Navy Capt Paul Heineman of the Escort Group A-3 after sinking German submarine U-175, North Atlantic, 500 nautical miles WSW of Ireland, 17 Apr 1943. US Coast Guard photo by Jack January. (The US led escort group was called Heineman’s Harriers.–Chuck)

1987  LT Tom McClay received a direct commission as a flight officer for duty with the Coast Guard’s E2C Hawkeyes.  LT McClay was the first Coast Guard flight officer.

USCGC Steadfast (WMEC 623)

2020  The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC 623) returned home 17 April 2020 to Astoria following a 65-day counternarcotic patrol to the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The cutter intercepted and boarded five suspected smuggling vessels, including one go-fast-style panga, while patrolling international waters off the coasts of Mexico and Central America.  Steadfast’s crew apprehended three suspected smugglers and seized 1,252 pounds of pure cocaine worth an estimated $21.5 million. “I am inspired daily by the tenacity and professionalism of this crew,” said Cmdr. Dan Ursino, commanding officer of the Steadfast. “Their resilience to remain focused, in light of the global health crisis and uncertainty back home, has been nothing short of remarkable.  Knowing the importance and impact of keeping these harmful substances from reaching our streets help to keep us going.” Steadfast also continued to participate in the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Mini Boat Project, which connected students from local Oregon elementary schools with their peers in Japan. Students learned about the significance of ocean currents and weather, while building miniature boats to send across the ocean to one another.  During this patrol, Steadfast launched two boats, Boat-A-Lohti and Philbert, approximately 200 miles off the southern tip of Baja, Mexico.

A starboard bow view of the US Coast Guard (USCG) ISLAND CLASS, Patrol Craft, USS MUSTANG (WPB 1310), underway at Port Valdez, Alaska, while providing harbor security during Exercise NORTHERN EDGE 2002.
Location: PORT VALDEZ, ALASKA (AK) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)

Below is a Coast Guard news release.

The last three US Coast Guard 110 foot Island class WPBs were in Alaska. Mustang in Seward, Naushon in Homer, and Liberty in Valdez. Naushon was decommissioned March 21st. With Mustang decommissioned April 15, Liberty is the last of 49 Island class cutters that have seen service with the Coast Guard.

Like the Hamilton class cutters, a number of the class are still in service with other navies and coast guards, in Costa Rica, Georgia, Greece, Pakistan, and Ukraine. At least one, the former USCGC Cushing, was sunk while in Ukrainian service.

Screen grab from https://www.uscg.mil/Homeport/

gCaptain reports,

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Homeport portal, a critical online platform for maritime operations since 2005, was permanently taken offline on April 12, 2025, leaving the maritime industry scrambling to adapt to alternative credentialing and verification processes.

The shutdown follows a unplanned period of restricted access that began on March 4, 2025, causing significant disruptions across the maritime sector and preventing employers from verifying crew credentials. gCaptain is told the HOMEPORT system’s inaccessibility has already resulted in job losses for mariners who cannot verify their credentials through the previously available online tools.

From the Homeport page,

The Coast Guard Homeport Internet Portal platform will be decommissioned on 12 April 2025. You will need to use alternate approaches for tasks typically performed through the Homeport platform.

We recognize that Homeport has long been a trusted tool for mariners and the broader maritime community. The Coast Guard is establishing temporary workarounds to ensure essential services remain accessible until we can identify the best permanent approach for each function.

The following pages will provide you with guidance on how to conduct activities previously done through Homeport.

The Coast Guard is responsible for maintaining both the physical and cyber security of our country’s maritime commerce system. The Homeport system is facing increasing costs and system obsolescence. As a result, it is no longer a viable tool for managing the many functions required to ensure the smooth and safe flow of vessel traffic.

250407-N-OC941-4089 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Florida – (Apr. 7, 2025) – Led by Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, more than 100 Sailors, Marines, and civilians gathered onboard Naval Station Mayport in support of the UNITAS 2025 Mid-Planning Conference. This year’s UNITAS, scheduled for September, is the longest-running, multinational maritime exercise in the world. UNITAS 2025 will combine the efforts of Allies and Partners from across the globe and serve as the warfighting introduction to Navy 250 – the U.S. Navy’s year-long birthday celebration. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Southern Command and the trusted maritime partner for Command/U.S. 4th Fleet is the maritime component of U.S. Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security, and stability. (U.S. Navy illustration by Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Fischer/Released)

Below is a news release. Hopefully the Coast Guard is planning to participate. I would think an NSC or MEC, FRC, LEDET, and a fixed wing with Minotaur. ECity might even host a foreign aviation unit.

It should be pretty easy, the action will take place off the US East Coast, off Mayport, Camp Lejeune, and Norfolk, Sept. 15 to Oct. 6.

It will include a SINK-EX. The Coast Guard might even get a chance to shoot. (Don’t worry that we might sink the target prematurely.)

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

April 15

1909  The schooner G.A. Hayden grounded northeast of Station Point Judith. The sea being too rough for surfboat, the life-saving crew took the beach apparatus to the wreck and succeeded in reaching her with the second shot.  The first of her crew was landed in the breeches buoy at 12:10 am.  After 4 trips the last one came ashore at 12:45. The vessel was a total loss.

1986  The Libyan military, on orders from dictator Moammar Gadhafi, fired a missile at Coast Guard LORAN Station Lampedusa off the coast of Italy.  The missile fell harmlessly in the Mediterranean and there were no casualties.

April 16

USRC Louisiana

1820  Landing parties from the cutters Louisiana and Alabama destroyed a pirate base on Breton Island.

1908  Congress authorized the creation of the Office of Captain-Commandant and Engineer in Chief.  Additionally, commanding officers of vessels were authorized to administer oaths of allegiance and other oaths for service requirements in Alaska.

USS Joyce

1944  The Coast Guard-manned destroyer escort USS Joyce, along with her sister warship USS Peterson and a Navy DE sank the German submarine U-550 off New York.  The U-boat first torpedoed what was at the time the largest tanker in the world as the convoy it was joining was forming up outside of New York harbor.  The destroyer escorts then attacked the U-boat, forcing it to the surface, and then sank it in a surface gun-battle.  Joyce rescued the surviving u-boatmen as well as those off the stricken tanker.

Texas City disaster. Parking lot 1/4 of a mile away from the explosion.
Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. To visit the entire collection at the University of Houston Digital Library please visit: http://digital.lib.uh.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/p15195coll4&CISOBOX1=Texas+City+Disaster&CISOSTART=1,1

1947  The French-owned Liberty ship Grandcamp exploded while loading ammonium nitrate at Texas City, Texas in one of the worst peace-time accidents ever to occur in a U.S. port.  Over 500 died and thousands were injured.

By U.S. Navy – United States Naval Operations Vietnam, Highlights; June 1966 – Map – U.S. MARKET TIME Forces, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34475896

1965  Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze asked Secretary of the Treasury Henry Fowler for Coast Guard assistance to combat seaborne infiltration from North Vietnam.  This naval operation in Vietnam was named Operation Market Time.

A concept image of a next-generation offshore patrol vessel (OPV) for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) made by JMU. Image courtesy of Japan’s Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA).

Naval News reports,

“The Japanese Ministry of Defense has announced that it has started building a planned fleet of 12 OPV for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). It is the first time ever for the service to introduce any OPV… the first and second vessels are scheduled to be launched in November this year, with the third and fourth vessels being scheduled to be launched in March 2026, according to the magazine. All four vessels will be commissioned in March 2027.”

Notably these are not for the Japan Coast Guard which does have a number of OPVs,

We have discussed these ships before. Earlier posts offer some good discussion in both the post and the comments.

• Japan’s New Offshore Patrol Vessel–July, 2021
• “MAST Asia: Mitsui Unveils OPV Design Proposal for JMSDF OPV Requirement” –Naval News –June, 2019

Cost of the first four vessels is reportedly 35.7 billion yen ($250 million). While it is difficult to draw comparisons, that is about what the US Coast Guard would pay for four Webber class FRCs.

These are very true to my original Cutter X concept, e.g. take the crew, equipment, and capabilities of a  Webber class FRC and put them in a more seaworthy hull with greater endurance.

These are not small OPVs:

• Displacement: 1920 tons, standard, which probably means about 2500 tons full load
• Length: 95 meters or about 312 feet.
• Beam: 12 meters, or about 39’4″

They are very similar in statistical description to the WHECs that preceded the Hamilton class, very much the same size as the class we called 311s. They had a range of 20,000 nautical miles at 12 knots.

Their reported speed of 20 knots would suggest they have less horsepower than the Webber class, but the true maximum may be understated. Asian nations frequently understate the capability of their ships. Earlier reports indicated a maximum speed of 25+.

An earlier conceptual drawing showed both a helicopter hangar and stern launch for two RHIBs.

Japan has had great difficulty in manning their ships so they have attempted to trim crew size. The reported crew size is only 30, but they will probably have accommodations for additional mission specific personnel.

Earlier conceptual design, Japanese Navy OPV stern quarter, Note significantly different mast.

From an earlier Naval News post,

“…the aft deck can carry multiple containers, making it useful for a wide range of missions, from transporting supplies in peacetime to providing humanitarian aid in times of disaster. These functions can be used to address Japan’s most pressing issues, such as remote island defense and disaster relief. On the other hand, multi-purpose hangers and modularization of equipment have the advantage of being able to change the ship’s equipment to suit different missions, as well as being able to propose a form that meets the requirements of other countries when exporting to them.”

What will these be used for? I suspect they will provide presence near critical coastal ports and infrastructure to prevent unconventional attacks launched from merchant or fishing vessels from either North Korea or China. The 30mm gun pictured may be adequate only for dealing with fishing vessels. Japan may have supporting forces they can call on.

More discussion of the class and its purpose here.

According to a video release in July 2021 by the MOD’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), the purpose of this OPV program is to provide enhanced maritime security, particularly around the southwestern Ryukyu Islands, including the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, by boosting JMSDF patrol activities in the region. The OPV will take over the patrol missions of the Abukuma-class destroyer escorts and Hayabusa-class patrol boats currently operated by JMSDF, including monitoring of other countries’ military vessels in the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, and Pacific Ocean. While the OPV’s primary mission is patrol, and its armament is very limited, it will be very well equipped for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).