Tuesday, June 23, 2009

USCGC TAHOMA

Since the September 11 attacks, there has been a much larger Coast Guard presence on Long Island Sound. Despite the increase, it is still rare to see a Coast Guard ship this large, west of New London. Last month I sailed by the TAHOMA in the waters between Orient Point and the Connecticut River. The 270' ship is the eighth of thirteen "Famous Class" cutters built. Her keel was laid at Derecktor Shipyard of Middletown, Rhode Island in 1983, and she was commissioned in 1988. With a crew of 14 officers and 86 enlisted, the TAHOMA was the first major marine military asset on the scene in New York Harbor following the September 11 attacks. TAHOMA is a Native American word for Mt Ranier in Washington (Tacoma). Her current homeport is Portsmouth, New Hampshire. USCG: TAHOMA YouTube: TAHOMA Drug Bust Wikipedia: Medium Class Cutters

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never knew that about Tohoma. Nice factoid. We have a USCG presence in Gloucester. Most people do not realize that they are part of our armed forces.

Unknown said...

The forgotten branch.
TAHOMA's homeport is Portsmouth, so there is a good chance you may see it in your travels.