[CGVet58]

Trust me, speaking as a Coastie Vet (24 years service); we are the red-headed stepchild when it comes to having a good budget that covers our needed eqpt and gets our mission accomplished despite the scant resources.

When i was stationed in Portsmouth, VA back in 85-88, the USCGC TANEY was still active and would tie up alongside us. The TANEY, btw, survived Pearl Harbor, and had been built back in the '30's.

CGVET58
Semper Paratus

[Eric in the Ozarks]

My experience is 16 years in bunkering Great Lakes shipping in Duluth-Superior and the north shore of Superior. The CG has one very old breaker on the Lakes and I think she might be pre-WW II or certainly that era.
The Canadians have vastly superior equipment and the Russian boats are light years advanced. Otherwise, buoy tenders are about all else that floats up there. Talk about an open border...

[Rebelbase]

An aging fleet indeed!

[New Perspective]

Coastie Bump fellow sailor. I hear you loud and clear. I was on the Sweetgum, a buoy tender built in the 40's I believe. It has a beautiful steel hull, which would go nicely with mine sweeping duty which was suggested we do back in 1987.

It was not always a good time, but we make it a good time. Friends for life. We have to give our fellow coasties credit for being in at this difficult time, not an easy mission to accomplish. And usually not regognized on a regular basis.

[dljordan]

Amen! My stepbrother went to the gulf on the Dallas and he said their forward gun mount wasn't even operational.