Coast Guard gets 100th new medium response boat

100th RB-M

The crew of Coast Guard Station St. Ignace, MI. took delivery on Aug. 13 of a  new 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M), marking the 100^th of 166 planned for the service.

The station crew, said the Coast Guard, will be running tests on the new boat out of the St. Ignace Harbor in Lake Huron, to check its advanced capabilities.

With 825 boiler horsepower, the RB-M can respond faster than previous boats of similar size and has a top speed in excess of 40 knots, it said. The RB-M, built by Marinette Marine in Manitowoc, WI, is a more capable platform for search and rescue and law enforcement, allowing Coast Guard crews to get on the scene of a maritime emergency safer and faster.

The RB-M marks the 100th off the production line, out of a planned 166 RB-Ms built for the service through the Coast Guard's Acquisition Directorate, according to the Coast Guard.

The service said the craft has advanced search capability with an installed forward-looking infrared search technology and twin jet propulsion. The vessel is extremely maneuverable and best suited to respond to mariners in distress in shallow water.

The boat has a deep-V, double-chine hull, providing a balance of performance and stability. It can handle heavy seas and waves up to 12 feet and carry up to 24 people and is designed to right itself if capsized in rough weather.

"Our crew is eager to start training with the new platform and utilizing its advanced systems to prevent loss of life," said senior chief Michael Beatty, officer-in-charge of Station St. Ignace.

The RB-M is being added to Station St. Ignace's current asset complement, consisting of two 25-foot Response Boats-Small, one 26-foot Trailerable Aids-to-Navigation Boat and will be replacing the station's 47-foot Motor Life Boat.