USCGC Mobile Bay (WTGB-103)
Encyclopedia
USCGC Mobile Bay (WTGB-103) is an active Ice cutting Tug
under the direction of the United States Coast Guard
. Her homeport is located in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
. She is one of two ships in her class that has been equipped with a 120-foot Aids-to-Navigation barge
operating on the Great Lakes
. The vessel was specifically designed to carry out ice cutting
missions, but also carries out missions in Search and Rescue
, Environmental Pollution Response, Maritime Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
.
USCG Icebreaking Tug
The USCG Bay-class icebreaking tug is a class of icebreaking tugs of the United States Coast Guard, with hull numbers WTGB 101 through to WTGB 109.They can proceed through fresh water ice up to thick, and break ice up to thick, through ramming...
under the direction of the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. Her homeport is located in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay, although the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula.-Geography:Sturgeon Bay is...
. She is one of two ships in her class that has been equipped with a 120-foot Aids-to-Navigation barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
operating on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. The vessel was specifically designed to carry out ice cutting
Ice cutting
Ice cutting was a winter occupation of icemen whose task it was to collect surface ice from lakes and rivers for storage in ice houses and sale as a pre-refrigeration cooling method...
missions, but also carries out missions in Search and Rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
, Environmental Pollution Response, Maritime Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
Homeland security
Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...
.