Coast Guard Station Chatham’s new 24-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water sits on its trailer Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Corbin Ross)
BOSTON — Coast Guard Station Chatham received a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water (SPC-SW) Tuesday to enhance their search and rescue capabilities.
Station Chatham’s area of responsibility (AOR) includes Chatham Bar and about 50 miles into the Atlantic Ocean as well as Stage Harbor and the waters of Nantucket Sound west of Monomoy Island.
As the popularity of recreational boats and paddlecraft has increased within the inland area of the station’s AOR, so has the need for boat crews to patrol these areas.
“Over the past six years, Station Chatham had to rely on our harbormaster partnerships, as well as Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, to assist with search and rescue cases involving inland water, this new boat will change that as we continue to service the Chatham boating community,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Corbin Ross, officer-in-charge of Station Chatham.
The vessel arrived on flatbed from Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, California and will be moored at Outermost Harbor Marine in Chatham, Massachusetts.
The 24-foot SPC-SW has a draft of 17.5 inches and the 42-foot Near Shore Lifeboat has a draft of 32 inches.
Station Chatham has a crew of 29 personnel, three 42-foot Near Shore Lifeboats, and one 24-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water.
