The USCG Cutter Washington decommissioned after 30 years service

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Washington (WPB 1331), a 110-foot Island Class patrol boat, was decommissioned after 30 years of service as part of recapitalization efforts during a ceremony at Naval Base Guam, Wednesday, the USCG said in its news release.

Rear Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, commander, Coast Guard 14th District presided over the ceremony. Washington’s years of service included numerous law enforcement cases, safety and security enforcement patrols, dignitary and Naval security operations, and a variety of noteworthy rescues at sea.

Washington entered commission-special status in a ceremony held at Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana, June 9, 1989, and formal commissioning took place in Honolulu Oct. 6 of the same year. The cutter takes its name from Washington Island, Wisconsin, located in Lake Michigan and is the second cutter to bear the name of our first president. The first, USRC (U.S. Revenue Cutter) Washington, performed nobly during the Second Seminole War from 1835-1837 and began the long tradition of excellence still embodied by the ship and crew today. The ship’s motto is “our cause is noble.”

Washington’s crews supported multi-mission operations throughout Sector Guam’s vast area of responsibility. This area consists of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) surrounding Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Additionally, they conduct international missions throughout the waters of the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia, specifically conducting search and rescue response missions and maritime law enforcement operations. Most recently, they patrolled Palau’s EEZ as part of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Operation Kurukuru, a coordinated maritime surveillance operation. The goal of the annual operation is to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Washington’s long-term efforts to improve maritime governance within the region have advanced a rules-based order and improved freedom of navigation.

Some of the crew will remain permanently stationed in Guam and crew the Fast Response Cutters. The first of three, the Coast Guard Cutter Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) is due to arrive in mid-2020.

Washington is one of the 49 Island Class cutters built to replace the 95-foot Cape Class cutters. With a 16 to 18-person mixed-gender crew and an operating range exceeding 2,300 miles, it has been a successful platform to conduct search and rescue response, ports waterways and coastal security operations, and to enforce the laws and treaties of the United States. The U.S. State Department is coordinating the transfer of Washington through the Foreign Assistance Act. This act allows the transfer of excess defense articles as a grant to friendly, foreign governments.