83-foot patrol boat
The United States Coast Guard wooden-hulled 83-foot patrol boats (also called cutters) were all built by Wheeler Shipyard in Brooklyn, New York during World War II. The first 136 cutters were fitted with a tapered-roof Everdur silicon bronze wheelhouse but due to a growing scarcity of that metal during the war, the later units were fitted with a flat-roofed plywood wheelhouse. A total of 230 83-footers were built and entered service with the Coast Guard during the war. Twelve other 83-footers were built for the Navy and were transferred to Latin American navies.
The 83-foot CGC-624 (later USCG-14) in 1942 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | 83-foot patrol boat |
| Builders | Wheeler Shipyard, Brooklyn, New York |
| Operators | United States Coast Guard |
| Preceded by | 400-series patrol boat |
| Succeeded by | Cape-class and Point-class cutters |
| Completed | 230 |
| Preserved | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Patrol boat |
| Displacement | 76 tons fully loaded |
| Length | 83 ft (25 m) |
| Beam | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Height | 64 in (1,600 mm) |
| Installed power | Twin Sterling Viking II gasoline engines |
| Propulsion | twin propellers |
| Speed | 20 kt |
The patrol boats were powered by two 600-horsepower "Viking 2nd" Model TCG-8 inline eight-cylinder gasoline engines manufactured by the Sterling Engine Company. Their combined fuel economy was poor: 100 gallons per hour at a cruising speed of 12 knots, 120 gallons per hour at full throttle.
The class was followed by Cape-class 95-foot patrol boat (or cutter) and 82-foot Point-class cutter.
Two of the cutters still survive. One, D-Day veteran CG-83366, is undergoing restoration to serve as a museum. The other, CG-83527, was a public attraction in the Seattle area from 2004-2016 and is now used as a home by its new owner.