United Stated Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is an agency of the United States Government, that provide defense of ports, during peacetime, maintains aids to navigation, like buoys and lighthouses, rescues sailors, fights marine fires, provides marine search and rescue.

The Coast Guard was formed, in the early 20th century, by amalgamating the United States Revenue Cutter Service, the United States Lighthouse Service, and the United States Lifeboat Service. Alexander Hamilton founded the Revenue Cutter Service when he was the United States Secretary of the Treasury, during George Washington's first term, as the first President -- which makes it about a decade older than the United States Navy.

The Coast Guard deploys many boats, with small crews, which lack accommodation to feed and house crews on multi-day missions. Vessels that can maintain crews on multi-day missions are called "cutters. Currently the lightly armed Marine Protector class are the smallest cutters, 87 feet (27 m) long, with a crew of just ten sailors. They can support their crews on missions of up to five days. The National Security Cutter, at 418 feet (127 m) and a crew of 113, is the largest cutter. They can maintain their crew on missions of up to 90 days. They are the size of naval frigates, and except for not carrying anti-ship missiles, can do everything a frigate can do. The Navy was to build its newest frigates to the European FREMM design. But, in 2026, the FREMM based frigates were cancelled, and the Navy announced their newest frigates would be based on the National Security Cutter.