Cutter Boat – Over the Horizon
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The Cutter Boat – Over the Horizon (CB-OTH), is a cutter-deployed rigid-hulled inflatable boat in service with the United States Coast Guard. It is designed to pursue and interdict fast, non-compliant vessels. As of March 2018, 78 boats have been delivered, and deployed on a variety of cutters, including the Maritime Security Cutters, Hamilton-class High Endurance Cutters, and Famous and Reliance-class Medium Endurance Cutters, and the Sentinel-class cutters.[1] Eventually, at least 101 boats will be deployed.[2]
Design
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The Over the Horizon boat is 24.75 feet (7.54 m) in length. Its fourth generation is manufactured by SAFE Boats International of Port Orchard, Washington. It is part of a 101-boat order worth up to $58.9 million. The hull is fabricated 5086 marine grade aluminum and it has a 22-inch-diameter (560 mm) foam collar. It is an inboard/outboard design powered by a 500 hp (370 kW) Cummins diesel inboard engine with a Hamilton jet drive.[3][4]
The boats are equipped with radar, electronic compass, GPS, and other electronic navigation systems, loud-hailer, and both HF and VHF-FM radios.[3] The boats come equipped with five special shock-absorbing seats, necessary because proceeding at high speed, over waves, could injure crewmember's spines.
A version of the boat with an all-black sponson and forward machine gun mount is used by Maritime Safety and Security Teams and the Maritime Security Response Team.
Use
[edit]The Coast Guard's newer cutters, the National Security Cutter, Sentinel-class cutter, and the smaller Marine Protector-class cutter are designed with a stern launching ramp. Stern launching ramps permit the cutters to deploy and retrieve water-jet propelled boats, without first coming to a stop. The Marine Protector-class cutters require just a single crew member to remain on deck to control the deployment and retrieval of its jet boat.
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This Cutter Boat was photographed through the open door of USCGC Bernard C. Webber's stern launching ramp
See also
[edit]References
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"U.S. Coast Guard Orders Six Over-The-Horizon Cutter Boats". DefPost. 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
Seventy-eight OTH-IVs have been delivered, including boats for the first seven Legend-class cutters (National Security Cutter, NSC) and the first 28 Sentinel-class cutters (Fast Response Cutter, FRC).
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"Acquisition Update: Coast Guard Orders Six Over-The-Horizon Cutter Boats" (PDF). US Coast Guard. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
Under the current contract, up to 101 OTH-IV cutter boats may be ordered over a seven year period.
- ^ a b "Cutterboat -- Over the Horizon (CB_OTH) Mk III Operator's Handbook" (PDF). US Coast Guard. January 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
- ^ "Acquisition Update: Coast Guard Orders Sixteen Over-The-Horizon Cutter Boats" (Press release). US Coast Guard. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2018-03-01.