Response boat-medium

The response boat-medium (RB-M) is a 45-foot (13.7m) utility boat used by the United States Coast Guard. It is intended as a replacement for the Coast Guard’s fleet of 41′ utility boats (UTB), which have been in use by the Coast Guard since the 1970s. The Coast Guard plans to acquire 180 of these RB-Ms over a 6–10 year period. [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Da/g%2Darb/rbm/rbmplan.htm United States Coast Guard: RB-M Acquisition Plan] ] The boats will be built by Kvichak Marine Industries of Kent, Washington and Marinette Marine of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. [http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/21/162874/ U.S. Coast Guard press release 2007-06-28] ]

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, “While primarily a Search and Rescue (SAR) asset when the 41′ UTB was first fielded, the evolution of missions has increased the requirement to perform many missions including Recreational Boating Safety (RBS), Marine Environmental Protection (MEP), Enforcement of Laws and Treaties (ELT), Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security (PWCS) and Defense Operations (DO), including those traditional missions associated with Homeland Security.” [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Da/g%2Darb/rbm/rbmdescript.htm United States Coast Guard: Response Boat - Medium Major Acquisition Project] ]

General characteristics

The boat has a deep-V, double chine hull, which provides a balance of performance and stability. Below the pilot house are six compartments:
* Lazarette
*Auxiliary machinery compartment
*Engine room
*Survivors’ Compartment
*Forepeak
*Head

(Sources: [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Da/g%2Darb/rbm/rbmspecs.htm United States Coast Guard: RB-M Key Parameters] ] [http://www.responseboatproject.net/characteristics.aspx United States Coast Guard: Response Boat-Medium Acquisition Project] ] )

Armament

*Two M240B light machine guns with bow tripod and aft tow bitt mounting points
*M16 rifle
*Remington 870 shotgun
*Santa Cruz Gun Lock Universal Gun Lock Systems

Electronics

* FLIR navigator thermal imager
* Furuno Scaleable Integrated Navigation System (SINS)
* Furuno radios
* Gentex LVIS digital intercom system
* Taiyo TD-L1550A VHF Direction Finder
* Motorola 5000 digital mobile radio
* Mount for KY-99 makes RB-M ready for secure communications
* L3 Communications Automatic Identification System (AIS)

Hull numbering

In keeping with standard USCG practice, boats of this size have hull numbers and are not named. This type of boat has a hull number beginning with the length of the boat (45′) and then a sequential number. In the case of the RB-M boats, the hull numbers begin with 601. Thus the first boat will be RB-M 45601.

Boats

Notes

ee also

*Equipment of the United States Coast Guard

References and external links

* [http://www.responseboatproject.net/ U.S. Coast Guard: Response Boat - Medium Acquisition Project]
* [http://www.responseboatproject.net/specifications.aspx U.S. Coast Guard Response Boat - Medium: Technical specifications]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Da/g%2Darb/rbm/rbm_mockup.htm U.S. Coast Guard: Construction of a mockup]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Da/g%2Darb/rbm/pictures.htm U.S. Coast Guard: Test project pictures]