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www.marinelink.com 31 tons and can remain at sea for up to 45 days. The 6,000 mile range at 12 knots is important as the U.S. is responsible for reaching distant U.S. territorial wa- ters, such as those surrounding remote islands in the Pacifi c. Buoy tenders have powerful handling equipment to retrieve buoys, repair them on deck, and put them back in the water. They have powerful handling equipment to retrieve buoys, repair them on deck, and return them to service after maintenance. They are ca- pable of light icebreaking. The newest, USCGC Alder (WLB 216) was commis- sioned in 2005. Other black hull include inland buoy tenders, inland construction tenders, ice breaking tugs and other auxiliary craft. These include 175-foot Keeper-class coastal buoy tenders and 140-foot Kat- mai-class icebreaking tugs. One other distinctive Coast Guard cutter of note is the cadet training ship Eagle. The Coast Guard is also updating its many small boats, which it operates in large numbers, with more tha 400 De- fender-class Response Boat Small (RB- S) craft alone. A replacement, the RB-S II, will feature an emphasis on function and crew comfort, and will gradually re- place the Defender-class RB-S as they reach the end of their service life. According to the Coast Guard Ac- quisition Directorate, the Coast Guard awarded a delivery order valued at ap- proximately $13m September 26, 2011 to Metal Shark Aluminum Boats for the production of 38 RB-S II. “The con- tract allows for the procurement of up to 500 boats. Up to 470 boats will be delivered to shore units throughout the Coast Guard to perform port and water- way security, search and rescue, drug and migrant interdiction, environmental and other law enforcement missions. Up to 20 boats may be ordered by Customs and Border Protection and up to 10 by the U.S. Navy.” “We have also received 148 of the 170 Response Boats Medium we’ve or- dered,” said Papp. “They are the most capable response boats in our history. These have also been delivered on time, and on budget.” MR #3 (26-31).indd 31 3/4/2014 10:27:00 AM
