USCGC Biscayne Bay

USCGC Biscayne Bay (WTGB-104)

File:USCG ice breaker Biscayne Bay.jpg USCGC Biscayne Bay (WTGB-104)
History
United States
Namesake	Biscayne Bay in southern Florida
Builder	Tacoma Boatbuilding Company
Commissioned	8 December 1979
Homeport	St. Ignace, Michigan
Identification	IMO number: 8635148 MMSI number: 366999980 Callsign: NRUS
Nickname(s)	Sentinel of the Straits
Status	Active
Badge	USCGC Biscayne Bay (WTGB-104) Coat of Arms
General characteristics
Class & type	140-foot Bay-class icebreaking tug (WTGB)
Displacement	690 tons
Length	140 ft (43 m)
Beam	37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Draft	13 ft (4.0 m)
Installed power	2 × 1,426 hp (1,063 kW) Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines 2 × 125 kW generators
Propulsion	2,500 hp (1,900 kW) Westinghouse electric motor driving the main propulsion shaft
Speed	14.7 knots (27.2 km/h; 16.9 mph)
Range	7,413 km (4,606 mi)
Complement	17 (3 officers, 14 enlisted)
Armament	mounts for two .50 cal machine guns
Armor	Ice belt thickness 5⁄8 in (1.6 cm)
Notes	Icebreaking capacity: 3 knots ahead - 20 in (51 cm), back and ram - 6–9 ft (1.8–2.7 m)

USCGC Biscayne Bay (WTGB-104) is a United States Coast Guard Cutter and an icebreaking tug. She is based at Coast Guard Station St. Ignace with a primary area of operation in the Straits of Mackinac including Mackinac Island, Mackinac Bridge, and the northern portions of Lakes Michigan and Huron and occasionally Lakes Superior, Erie and their connecting rivers. Beyond her role as an icebreaker, Biscayne Bay performs search and rescue and law enforcement functions.

Design

Biscayne Bay is the fourth ship in a class of ice-breaking tugboats designed to have greater multi-mission capabilities than the 110-foot Calumet-class harbor tug (WYTM). The most significant differences include: greater horsepower, greater speed, longer range, increased ice-breaking capability, a hull lubrication system (bubbler), greater degree of automation, and better habitability.

External links

• BISCAYNE BAY Photos and Tour