Security Levels


 

  National Threat Level: Elevated
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Coast Guard Assets within Group Astoria

Coast Guard Group Astoria has a variety of resources ready 24 hours-a-day / 7 days-a-week to provide assistance to mariners and the public in support of Search and Rescue as well as other Homeland Security missions.

Coast Guard cutters (ships) also call Astoria their home port as they conduct operations off the Northwest coast year round. USCGC ALERT and USCGC STEADFAST are 210 ft medium endurance cutters which conduct multi-mission patrols as far south as Central America. These cutters can often be found off the Washington/Oregon coast protecting living marine resources through enforcement of federal fisheries and safety laws. USCGC FIR is a Juniper Class seagoing buoy tender with the primary mission of maintaining over 150 aids to navigation along the Washington/Oregon coast as well as the Columbia River. This cutter also conducts multi-mission patrols conducting at sea boardings of fishing and other types of vessels.

Coast Guard Air Station Astoria has three HH-60J "Jayhawk" helicopters. There are boats assigned to each of the three Motor Lifeboat Stations within the Group. The Aids to Navigation Team uses trailerable boats working out of Tongue Point Astoria, OR. Below a basic description of each is provided.

HH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter

Coast Guard Air Station Astoria maintains one HH-60 Jayhawk ready 24/7 with a flight crew and rescue swimmer. With its external fuel tanks, it is capable of reaching as far as 300 nautical miles offshore allowing Air Station Astoria to conduct missions anywhere in the Thirteenth Coast Guard District.

HH60J formation over Astoria Column Photo Resource Description:

52 foot Motor Lifeboat (SPC-HW)

Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River and Station Grays Harbor on the mid-Washington coast operate one of the toughest boats in the world. The TRIUMPH (MLB-52314) is assigned to Station Cape "D" and the INVINCIBLE (MLB-52313) is assigned to Station Grays Harbor. The Coast Guard has only four 52 foot MLB's all located in the Thirteenth District (one in Newport, OR and the other in Coos Bay, OR)

52 ft Motor Lifeboat fleet PhotoResource Description:

47 foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB)

Each of the Stations in Group Astoria (Tillamook Bay, Cape Disappointment, and Grays Harbor) have two 47 foot MLB's. These are the backbone of the Coast Guard small boat fleet allowing operations in almost any conditions. The design makes it a flexible tool whether recovering persons from the water or standing vigil with a mounted machine gun for ports and waterways security missions. The National Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment has five 47 foot MLB's and teaches students from around the nation how to operate this boat type in heavy weather and surf.

47 ft Motor Lifeboat Photo Resource Description:

25 foot Defender Class (RBS/RBHS)

The 25 foot "Defender Class" Response Boat can be found at Station Grays Harbor and at Station Tillamook Bay. These boats provide a fast response for all missions and were first introduced as a standard boat for the Homeland Security mission nationwide.

25 foot Defender class boat Photo Resource Description:

23 foot Utility Boat (UTL)

This open cockpit rescue boat provides versatility, speed and a shallow draft. Station Tillamook Bay operates two of these boats due to the extreme shallow waters within their operations area.

23 foot utility boat Photo Resource Description:

26 foot Trailerable Aid to Navigation Boat (TANB)

The 26 foot TANB is the newest standard boat addition to the Group Astoria inventory. It serves as the workhorse for the Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) which calls Tongue Point their home. Most work done by the ANT involves trailering the boat to local ramps and launching to service the wide variety of structures and buoys they are responsible for.

Resource Description: 26foot coast guard boat Photo

17 foot Trailerable Aid to Navigation Boat (TANB)

The 17 foot TANB is used for the same purposes as the newer 26 foot TANB by the Astoria Aids to Navigation Team at Tongue Point.

18 foot Flood Relief Skiff (SKF)

Station Tillamook Bay operates a flood relief skiff for use in the shallow waters of Tillamook Bay and during seasonal floods common to the area of Tillamook and Nehalem valleys. This small boat is normally operated by two persons in providing rescue or evacuation services in flooded areas. Crews often find themselves navigating down highways, roads, or across fields covered with rushing flood waters deep enough to hide fences or even vehicles. Crews can launch and recover this boat in remote locations often staging along Highway 101 in Tillamook, OR.

Flood Relief Skiff Photo Resource Description:


 

Last Modified 8/11/2008