USCG Cutter BLACKFIN (WPB 87317) ~ Homeport – Santa Barbara , Calif.
The United States Coast Guard is a military, multimission, maritime service within the department of Homeland Security and is one of the nation's five Armed Services. Its mission is to protect the public, the environment, and U.S. economic interests in the nation's ports and waterways, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region as required to support national security. The Coast Guard provides unique benefits to the nation because of its distinctive blend of military, humanitarian and civilian law-enforcement capabilities.

The newly designed 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat has several enhancements including improved mission sea keeping abilities (up to sea state 5), significantly upgraded habitability, and compliance with all current and projected environmental protection laws. It also employs an innovative stern launch and recovery system using an Aluminum hulled inboard diesel powered waterjet small boat. The vastly larger pilot house is equipped with an integrated bridge system including an electronic chart display system (ECDIS) which interfaces with the CG's new surface search radar. SWIII computers along with a fiber optic network will also be installed, allowing the crew to access the vessel's CD-ROM tech pubs and drawings.