It was a cold, rainy day in Ketchikan, Alaska. A single prolonged blast from a ship’s whistle rang through the air. The union jacks were lowered, mooring lines cast off, and the Coast Guard’s final three patrol boats departed Ketchikan for the last time. It marked the end of an era.
On May 14, the decommissioned Coast Guard Cutters Liberty (WPB 1334), Mustang (WPB 1310), and Naushon (WPB 1311), exited the Seventeenth Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility for the final time. These were the last of the 110-foot Island-Class Patrol Boats (often referred to as 110s) – being succeeded by the modern Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), which feature enhanced capabilities to meet the evolving needs of the Coast Guard.
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| U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Naushon (WPB 1311), Mustang (WPB 1310), Liberty (WPB 1334) transit through Seymour Narrows in British Columbia, Canada, May 2025. Through the Excess Defense Articles program, these boats will find a second life with the Colombian navy. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of USCGC Mustang) |
Though the final 110s are being replaced, the history and legacy of the Island-Class cutters lives on.
Built in the late 1980s by Bollinger Shipyard in Lockport, Louisiana, the Island-Class cutters were a Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat. The cutter was designed to complete a five-day patrol without replenishment operated by a crew of up to18 people. Though they were only expected to serve about 15 years due to their mild steel hull construction, the 110s exceeded expectations.
For nearly four decades, a total of 49 Island-Class Patrol Boats supported a wide range of critical missions including maritime homeland security, migrant and drug interdiction, defense operations, fisheries enforcement, and search and rescue.
A Legacy of Service
As we say farewell to the final 110s, let’s look back at their incredible legacy! These are the most significant 110 operations in Coast Guard history:
Counter Mass Migration Operations
In 1994, patrol boats like USCGC Cushing were among the 55 cutters that responded to the counter mass migration operations Operation Able Manner and Operation Able Vigil. These operations were some of the Coast Guard’s largest peacetime missions since the Vietnam war resulting in the rescue and repatriation of more than 63,000 Haitian and Cuban migrants.
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| Between Cuba and Florida Keys (Sept. 19)--The Coast Guard Cutter Mantinicus (WPB 1315) patrols the waters off the coast of Cuba alongside a navy ship during Operation Able Vigil. Operation Able Vigil got underway in mid-August when the number of Cuban rafters rescued in the Florida straits skyrocketed above the month of June's record of 1,173 to 2,607 in a single week of August. USCG photo by PA1 Don Wagner |
September 11th Attacks
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the crew of USCGC Adak jumped into action using the cutter as a command center to coordinate a sealift evacuation of over 500,000 people from Lower Manhattan – the largest sealift operation in history. For their heroic efforts, the crew received the Secretary of Transportation's Outstanding Unit Award.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
The Coast Guard deployed eight 110-foot Island Class Patrol Boats in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, with four operating in the Arabian Gulf. These four boats were vital workhorses conducting maritime intercept operations (MIO) and inspections of merchant ships operating in the Arabian Gulf. They were among the first vessels to enter the Iraqi port Umm Qasr, and they escorted some of the first merchant ships into that port.
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| ARABIAN GULF (Jan. 5, 2004)--The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Adak passes by one of the numerous cargo dhows that travel along the Iraqi river coast. The Coast Guard has deployed four 110-foot patrol boats to the region to support U.S. Navy 5th Fleet and coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Maritime Interception Operations to stop illegal oil smuggling and to search for terrorists. USCG photo by PA1 Matthew Belson |
Empress of the North
In 2007, the cruise ship Empress of the North ran aground 49 miles west of Juneau, Alaska. The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Liberty worked alongside fishing boats and a ferry crew to evacuate all 281 passengers!
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| JUNEAU, Alaska (May 14, 2007)--Passengers from the Cruise Ship Empress of the North being offloaded onto the Coast Guard Cutter Liberty and civilian vessels after running aground at aproximately 2:00 a.m. here today. The Liberty took on 130 of the 248 passengers before offloading them onto the Alaska State Ferry Columbia, which will transport them back to the city of Juneau. (Official Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Chris Caskey) |
Last Frontier
Operating beyond their intended service lives, the patrol boats presented unique challenges for the final 110 crews in the remote Alaska locations. Yet, life aboard these vessels also came with remarkable rewards including hunting and fishing opportunities, glacier and wildlife viewing, and exploring some of the most remote regions in the country.
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| USCGC Naushon (WPB 1311) conducts a familiarization patrol in Glacier Bay, Alaska, Oct. 21, 2008. Patrols like this one demonstrate the Coast Guard's dedication to ports, waterways and coastal security, regardless of the wind, water or seas. This photo won second place in the 2009 Coast Guard Photo Contest. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Logan Wright) |
“We experienced amazing things and got to see areas not many do,” said Seaman Hayden Packer from Coast Guard Cutter Liberty. Packer’s time aboard taught him to, “do your best no matter what situation you are in and to keep working hard.”
Sailors were also provided with ample opportunities to find their sea legs.
“Mustang often lives up to her name and feels like riding a wild horse,” said Lt. j.g. Isaac Lalonde, executive officer of Mustang, decommissioned on April 15.
From cutting a swim call short due to a pod of Orcas swimming nearby or snowboarding in Girdwood to a 12-hour tow of a sailboat in 10 to 12-foot seas or conducting at-sea boardings in a grueling sea state, life aboard Alaska’s 110s has been anything but ordinary. It was this balancing act between working hard and playing hard that built unshakable connections.
“I will definitely miss the crew the most,” said Lt. Gabrielle Troise, the commanding officer of Mustang. “They taught me so much about how to be the best of myself in this leadership position,” she said. “This unit has only strengthened my desire to continue in the afloat career path. Because of the relationships we create along the way.”
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| U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Naushon (WPB 1311), Mustang (WPB 1310), Liberty (WPB 1334), Douglas Denman (WPC 1149), Bailey Barco (WPC 1122), and Pike (WPB 87365) moored to the pier at Coast Guard Base Ketchikan, Alaska, May 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Courtney Glenn) |
These cutter crews aren’t just tied to each other; they’re connected to a long legacy of the crewmembers who served aboard these patrol boats over the past four decades.
As the final Island-Class Patrol Boats sail to their new home, we honor every crewmember who served aboard this platform. They stood the watch, answered the call and forged a vital place in Coast Guard history. Their contributions – to their crews, to their communities and to their nation – will not be forgotten.
Fair winds and following seas to the 110s and the legacy they leave behind.
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| Sunshine glistens off a glacier as the crew aboard the Auke Bay-based USCGC Liberty (WPB 1334) to avoid dangerous, flowing ice during a recent patrol in Glacier Bay, Aug. 14, 2003. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo) |
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| USCGC Mustang (WPB 1310) patrols near Bainbridge Glacier in Prince William Sound, Alaska. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo) |
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