Medium endurance cutter


The Medium Endurance Cutter or WMEC is a type of United States Coast Guard Cutter mainly consisting of the Famous- and Reliance-class cutters. These larger cutters are under control of Area Commands. These cutters have adequate accommodations for crew to live on board and can do 6 to 8 week patrols.
Other ships in the WMEC classification are the , and the now-decommissioned , and , and which began as the United States Navy launched in 1943.
There are 13 vessels in the Famous class, and 12 vessels still in active US service in the Reliance class. The Coast Guard plans to eventually phase out the vessels in both of these cutter classes and replace them with the Offshore Patrol Cutter as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program.

History

After World War II, the United States Coast Guard used the US Navy hull classification system. The large, sea-going cutters were classified primarily as Coast Guard gunboats, destroyer escorts, and seaplane tenders. In 1965 the Coast Guard adopted its own designation system and these large cutters were then referred to as Coast Guard High Endurance Cutters. The coastal cutters once known as Cruising Cutters, Second Class and then as Coast Guard patrol craft were now Coast Guard Medium Endurance Cutters."

Famous-class cutter

The Famous-class vessels have hull numbers in the range from WMEC-901 through WMEC-913. Entering service in the 1980s, the Famous-class cutters were designed as replacements for the s, and their mission profile emphasized law enforcement, particularly patrolling the newly established exclusive economic zone.
The Coast Guard harvested weapons systems components from decommissioned s to save money. Harvesting components from four decommissioned frigates resulted in more than $24 million in cost savings, which increased with parts from more decommissioned frigates. Equipment such as the Mark 75, 76 mm/62 caliber gun mounts, gun control panels, barrels, launchers, junction boxes, and other components from decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were returned to service aboard Famous-class cutters in order to extend their service lives into the 2030s.

Ships in class

Hull numberNameCommissionedStatus
WMEC-901February 4, 1983Active
WMEC-902March 16, 1984Active
WMEC-903September 20, 1984Active
WMEC-904December 17, 1984Active
WMEC-905June 28, 1986Active
WMEC-906May 4, 1987Active
WMEC-907August 27, 1987Active
WMEC-908April 6, 1988Active
WMEC-909August 19, 1988Active
WMEC-910June 30, 1989Active
WMEC-911August 4, 1990Active
WMEC-912August 4, 1990Active
WMEC-913March 20, 1991Active

Service life extension program

The service life extension program for eight cutters of the class started in July 2021 with prototype work for electrical and structural systems on the Seneca and Harriet Lane. Additionally, Harriet Lane served as the prototype for the replacement of the main gun with a Mark 38 25 mm [machine gun system|Mk38 Mod 3] 25mm machine gun. The production phase of the SLEP, which will be carried out on Spencer, Legare, Campbell, Forward, Escanaba and Tahoma, covers four main areas: the electrical, structural and weapons systems work prototyped on Seneca and Harriet Lane and finally replacement of the main propulsion Diesel engines. The last SLEP is expected to be complete by 2030.
Hull numberNameEntered SLEPDeparted SLEP
WMEC-906July 2021April 4, 2022
WMEC-903March 28, 2022August 3, 2023
WMEC-905July 1, 2023March 8, 2025
WMEC-912June 24, 2024
WMEC-909
WMEC-911
WMEC-907
WMEC-908

''Reliance''-class cutter

The Reliance-class vessels have hull numbers in the range from WMEC-615 through WMEC-630. Entering service between 1964 and 1969, the Reliance-class cutters were meant to replace the cutters of the Prohibition era and were the first major cutter replacement project since the s from World War II.
The 210s received upgrades and modifications during the 1986 through 1990 time period. The "A"-class cutters had their gas turbines removed, and all 210s had their stern transom exhaust systems replaced with a traditional stack. While this modification reduced the size of the flight deck, they were still more than capable of carrying out helicopter operations. Other modifications included enlarging the superstructure area, replacing the main armament, and increasing the fire-fighting capability of the cutters. The modifications cost approximately $20 million per cutter, well above their original cost of about $3.5 million each.

Ships in class

USCGC Valiant was removed from active service and placed in commission, special status on 17 June 2025.
USCGC Courageous was decommissioned on 19 September 2001. She was transferred to the government of Sri Lanka on 24 June 2004 as .
USCGC Steadfast was decommissioned on 1 February 2024 and tranferred to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
USCGC Dauntless was removed from active service and placed in commission, special status on 21 June 2024. As of that date she had served 56 years. She and Steadfast are the only two Coast Guard cutters to have seized one million pounds of marijuana.
USCGC Dependable was removed from active service and placed in commission, special status on 9 April 2024. Her crew were transferred to other Coast Guard units to help meet the service-wide shortage of enlisted personnel.
USCGC Durable was decommissioned on 20 September 2001. In 2003 she was transferred to the Coast Guard of the Colombian Navy as ARC Valle del Cauca (PO-44).
USCGC Decisive was decommissioned on 2 March 2023.