Tugboats

TUGBOATS———————————————————————

The Coast Guard operates two classes of tugboats; the 65’ Small Harbor Tugs and the 140’ Bay-class Icebreaking Tugs. Each class is capable of performing similar missions including search and rescue,
law enforcement, ice breaking, and aids to navigation maintenance.

Fifteen 65’ Small Harbor Tugs were built by three different shipyards from 1961-1967 and designed with steel hulls that replaced the 64’ wooden-hulled tugs that had been in service since the 1940s. They are capable of breaking ice up to 18 inches with full-head propulsion and 21 inches with backing & ramming. Homeported throughout New England and Mid-Atlantic states, eleven remained in service as of 2026.

The 140’ Bay-class Icebreaking Tugs can make-way through freshwater ice up to 20 inches thick and
break ice up to 36 inches thick using the backing & ramming method. Additionally, they can ram pressure ridges of up to 8 feet thick. These powerful ships are equipped with a unique system that lubricates their progress through the ice by bubbling air through the hull. Nine in this class were constructed between 1977-1987, all of which were still in service in 2026. Seven are homeported on the Great Lakes, while one is based in Maine and the other in New Jersey.

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65’ SMALL HARBOR TUGS

USCGC CAPSTAN (WYTL-65601 / USCGC CLEAT (WYTL-65615)
Philadelphia, PA
First in Class / Last in Class
(CAPSTAN on Obverse / CLEAT on Reverse)