W B Young asked,
“I was wondering if they are going to base these two WMSM in R.I., what base/homeport is losing ships to make up for this? What with 25 tentative WMSM replacing 28 current WMEC some homeport(s) were already going to be losing a currently based ship{s}”
Trying to answer this turned out to be a bit more than I wanted to put in just a comment. I am going to look at homeports for the larger patrol cutters, WHECs, WMECs, OPCs, and NSCs, breaking it down by district, as we move toward 36 large patrol cutters (11 NSCs and 25 OPCs).
Keep in mind these changes will not happen quickly. First OPC is not expected to be delivered until 2022 and then only one per year through 2028. Then only two per year, so we are looking at #25 arriving in 2037.
TRENDS:
There are some trends that seem to be playing out here:
- Fisheries, Alien Migrant interdiction, and D7 drug interdiction are increasingly being done by Webber class WPCs.
- Ships of a class are increasingly being based in groups of three or more for better support.
- 210s are being moved South where they are closer to the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific drug interdiction areas and where the weather is less demanding.
LOOKING BACK:
When I looked at homeports in 2015:
- There were six large cutters in CGD1, three in Portsmouth, NH/Kittery, ME (two 270s and one 210) and three 270s in Boston.
- There were nine in D5, six 270s and three 210s.
- Nine in D7, two NSCs, two 270s, and five 210s.
- D8, two 210s
- A total of 26 in LANTAREA
- In PACAREA, 14 total, three NSCs, seven 378s, one 282, and three 210s (That is really 11 “high endurance cutters” (NSCs, 378s, and Alex Hailey, rated a WMEC but really an HEC) and three 210s).
WHAT WE HAVE NOW
Currently we have 38 large patrol ships, already down two:
- D1, five 270s
- D5, Total of eight, six 270s and two 210s
- D7, no change, Total of nine, two NSCs, two 270s, and five 210s
- D8, Four 210s
- LANTAREA total 26
- PACAREA total twelve, six NSCs, two 378, one 282, three 210s
The LANT total has not changed, but D1 and D5 have each donated a 210 to D8.
PACAREA is down two ships. One from D11 and one from D13.
What we know about the future:
The last two 378s, both in PACAREA, will not last much longer.
Three more Bertholf class NSCs are going to be based in D7 at Charleston. As unlikely as it may seem, this is actually closer to the Eastern Pacific drug transit zone than San Diego.
The First two OPCs will go to San Pedro. The second pair will go to Kodiak. The third pair will go to D1 in Newport, RI.
What will happen to Alex Haley when the two OPCs arrive in Kodiak is not clear, but there is a good chance it has more life in it than many of the 210s. It is newer and more capable than any of them. In many ways it is close to a SLEPed 270. Hopefully it will be kept on.
Six 270s will undergo life extension program renovations. My presumptions are that,
- These will probably last about a year, but hopefully less for later ship after we acquire some experience.
- We will do only one at a time,
- That the crew that brings it to be renovated will be reassigned, and
- That a new crew will be assigned, much as if it were new construction.
- After renovation it is likely that the ship will be assigned to a new homeport.
These renovations will need to start relatively soon. We need to complete the project by 2027, if we are going to get at least 10 years service out of all six before the 25th OPC is completed in 2037. (Wonder if perhaps we can install more powerful engines to get a bit more speed.)
The four OPCs going to PACAREA are really replacing four WHECs not WMECs. There used to be 10 WHECs on the West coast. When the two Webber class currently planned to be homeported in Astoria arrive, they may effectively start to replace the West Coast 210s in PACAREA.
PURE SPECULATION:
This is what I think we will see, as all the WHECs and WMECs disappear and we are left with eleven NSCs and 25 OPCs.
We will certainly see homeport changes as the healthier ships are moved to ports vacated by those being decommissioned.
As their SLEPs are completed, 270s will replace 210s in D7 and/or D8. Those 210 will then be decommissioned or moved to replace other 210s that are decommissioned. Will be interesting to see if we simply decommission a 210 whenever an OPC is commissioned, or will we do a sequence for the first few ships, commission an OPC, but wait until a 270 completes SLEP before decommissioning a 210. It would be a way to maximize cutter days. The SLEP is going to cost us some ship years.
First District will end up with four OPCs. All probably in Newport, RI. Boston and Kittery will probably loose all their large patrol cutters.
Fifth District will end up with six OPCs. All homeported close together in Virginia, in one or two locations.
Seventh District will, we know, have five NSCs in Charleston, I suspect five OPCs for a total of 10 ships. Currently D7 has large patrol cutters based in five ports: Charleston, Mayport, Cape Canaveral, Key West, and St. Petersburg. Likely only two or three will continue to host this class of ship. Charleston is a certainty. My guess is that Mayport and Cape Canaveral will loose their patrol Cutters. Key West and possibly St. Petersburg (less likely) will have OPCs. Charleston could host OPCs as well, which would probably mean none in St Pete.
The Eight District will have four OPCs, probably all in Pensacola.
The number of large cutters in PACAREA will soon drop to 10 but will ultimately work back to 12, a total of six NSCs and six OPCs. Where do those last two OPCs go? Best guess–to San Pedro for a total of four, but it could be two to San Diego (still close to San Pedro) or one each to San Pedro and Kodiak.
Eleventh District will end up eight, four NSCs and four OPCs.
Thirteenth District will end up with no large patrol cutters, but will host three Polar Security Cutters. Could be wrong. Those last two PACAREA OPCs could end up in D13.
Fourteenth District will have two NSCs.
Seventeenth District will have two OPCs.
Readers with rationale why my suppositions are wrong, please weigh in.
The crew of USCGC Kimball (WMSL 756) arrive in Honolulu for the first time Dec. 22, 2018. Known as the Legend-class, NSCs are designed to be the flagships of the Coast Guard’s fleet, capable of executing the most challenging national security missions, including support to U.S. combatant commanders. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir/Released)
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