USCGC Steadfast (WMEC-623) was a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter in commission for 56 years. Commissioned in 1968, Steadfast was home ported in St. Petersburg, Florida for her first 24 years of service. In 1992, she was decommissioned for Major Maintenance Availability (MMA) to extend her service another 25 years. Following MMA in February 1994, Steadfast was re-commissioned and home ported in Astoria, Oregon until her decommissioning on February 1, 2024.
 USCGC Steadfast (WMEC-623)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio |
| Laid down | 2 May 1966 |
| Launched | 24 June 1967 |
| Commissioned | 7 October 1968 |
| Decommissioned | 1 February 2024 |
| Refit | 31 January 1994 |
| Homeport | Astoria, Oregon |
| Identification |
|
| Nickname(s) | "El Tiburón Blanco" |
| Status | Inactive |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 759 tons |
| Length | 210 ft 6 in (64.16 m) |
| Beam | 34 ft (10 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) max |
| Propulsion | 2 x V16 2550 horsepower ALCO 251B diesel engines |
| Speed | max 18 knots; 2,700 mile range |
| Range | cruise 14 knots; 6,100 mile range |
| Complement | 12 officers, 63 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems | 2 x AN/SPS-64 navigation and surface search radar. |
| Armament | |
| Aircraft carried | HH-65 Dolphin |
Steadfast completed over 330 Search and Rescue cases, interdicted over 1.6 million pounds of marijuana and 27,700 pounds of cocaine, seized over 65 vessels, and stopped over 3500 undocumented migrants on the high seas from entering the United States. Steadfast was the first, and is one of only two cutters awarded the gold marijuana leaf, symbolizing one million pounds of marijuana seized. Legend holds Steadfast was named "El Tiburón Blanco" (Spanish for "The White Shark") by Colombian drug smugglers in the 1970s for being such a nemesis to their illegal drug operations. Steadfast's crew used the symbol of "El Tiburón Blanco" as one of their logos to epitomize Steadfast's aggressive law enforcement posture.[1]
On 21 September 1978, Douglas DC-3 N407D of Argosy Airlines crashed into the Caribbean Sea whilst on a ferry flight from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to José Martí International Airport, Havana. All four people on board were killed.[2] The aircraft disappeared off radar screens at 12:43 local time (17:43 UTC). A search was initiated, which Steadfast coordinated, but was called off on 24 September without any trace of N407D being found.[3]
USCGC Steadfast completed her final Coast Guard patrol on December 18, 2023[4] and was decommissioned in Astoria on February 1, 2024 after 56 years of service. The ship, now in Excess Defense Article status, will proceed to Baltimore, Maryland where she will be made available to sale to other countries via the Coast Guard's Foreign Military Sales Program.[5]
References edit
- ^ "United States Coast Guard > Our Organization > Area Cutters > CGC Steadfast > History". United States Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Defense Media Activity. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
- ^ "N407D Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ "Into the Blue". Bermuda Triangle. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ^ "U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast returns home after final patrol of Coast Guard service" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Defense Media Activity. U.S. Department of Defense. 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ "U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast decommissioned after 56 years of service" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Defense Media Activity. U.S. Department of Defense. 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
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Steadfast pier-side at Astoria -
Steadfast's builder's plate -
Bridge aboard Steadfast
