U.S.C.G.C. BAINBRIDGE ISLAND (WPB-1343)
USCGC BAINBRIDGE ISLAND is the 43rd "Island Class" patrol boat to join the Coast Guard fleet, and is named after Bainbridge Island. Bainbridge Island is located in Puget Sound, Washington, just west of Seattle. Bainbridge Island, Washington combines the historic charm of lumber mills, strawberry fields, and WWII military bases with rural, pastoral ambiance, setting the island apart from the bustle of the big city next door. The island was once the private hunting ground of Chief Kitsap and later named Bainbridge Island by Captain Vancouver. Bainbridge Island supports a diversity of cultures that includes young families, singles and senior citizens who have all made a decision to live on this beautiful island.
The cutter was built by Bollinger Machine Shop and Shipyard in Lockport, Louisiana and is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and electronics. CGC BAINBRIDGE ISLAND'S design is based on the internationally known Vosper Thornycroft Patrol Boats of Great Britain. Her twin V-16 caterpillar diesel engines move the ship at speeds in excess of 29 knots. Designed as a highspeed heavy weather craft, CGC BAINBRIDGE ISLAND also employs active-fin roll stabilizers to minimize ship motion and reduce crew fatigue.
The cutter was built primarily as a law enforcement platform, but CGC BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, like all Coast Guard units, is considered a multi-mission resource. From search and rescue to marine environmental protection to national defense, this cutter and her crew are ready and able to respond to any call.
The USCGC BAINBRIDGE ISLAND is homeported in Sandy Hook, NJ and is part of Coast Guard Sector New York. She normally operates in the waters off the First Coast Guard District, from the Gulf of Maine to Southern New Jersey, and engages in Search & Rescue as well as Enforcement of Commericial Fisheries Laws and Regulations. CGC BAINBRIDGE ISLAND also conducts counter-drug patrols from Maine to the Caribbean Sea, and in 2003-2004, she completed an extended deployment to the Mediterranean Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
