The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

maintains roughly 145 Aids to Navigation Boats. These boats were designed primarily to serve within the inland waters of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. These vessels include TANB/BUSL/ATON/ANB ranging from 16 to 55 feet in length. Most

Aids to Navigation A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...

Boats of the

are stationed with Aids to Navigation Teams (ANT). These are teams of boatswain's mates, machinery technicians, electrician's mates, and non-rated personnel that service small

buoy A buoy (; ) is a buoyancy, floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. History The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navig ...

jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...

lights and

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

Boats

*65-ft Aids to Navigation Boat (ANB) Similar to the 55 ft ANB, there are 2 boats, one is in Galveston, Texas (65402). The additional ten feet is added to the pilothouse and crew quarters. It has a higher capacity crane, with a longer reach and a large "V" cut into the stern platform to allow the boat to more readily maintain contact with an aid even under wave conditions. It is powered by two 825 hp DD 12V71TA two stroke diesel engines and has a 7.5 kW diesel generator to provide air conditioning/heat, power for a full galley and refrigerated storage, and electric power tools. The 64 has a full galley and head with shower and sleeps 5 in three staterooms. It holds 500 US gal of fuel, 250 of water, and is capable of speeds of 30 kn. The 64 operates in the Houston Ship Channel and ICW areas and is equipped to stay deployed three days. *55-ft Aids to Navigation Boat (ANB) Equipped with a crane that is used for hoisting and securing the various buoys and aids to navigation that the Coast Guard supplies for waterways. The boat is 55 ft long to the transom, and 58 ft 9 in to the end of the swim platform. It is 25 ft tall unfixed and has a navigational draft of 8 ft. The 55-ft ANB goes approximately 25

knot A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...

s when at full speed. The 55-ft ANB is often employed to service offshore aids as well. *49-ft Buoy Utility Stern Loading (BUSL):

LOA , also called loa, are spirits in the African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou and Dominican Vudú. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their iden ...

49 ft 2 1/4 in, beam 16 ft 10 in, highest fixed point 15 ft, highest unfixed 27 ft, hoisting capacity 71,690 lb, draft 5 ft 6 in *26-ft Trailerable Aids to Navigation Boat (TANB): LOA: 29 ft 7 in, beam: 8 feet, draft: 2 ft 4 in, engines: twin 150 hp 4-cycle outboard motors, cruise speed: 30 kn at 4,800 rpm, range: 170 nmi at 4,800 rpm, hoisting capacity ( SWL): 500 lb *20-ft Aids to Navigation Boat - Small (AB-S): LOA 21 ft, beam 8 ft 6 in, draft 16 in, fuel capacity 70 US gal, weight 2,700 lb, Max hp 250. *24-ft Cutterboat - Aids to Navigation - Large (CB-ATON-L): LOA 23 ft, beam 8 ft, draft 20 in, fuel cap 80 US gal, weight 3,500 lb, Max hp 300. *18-ft Cutterboat - Aids to Navigation - Medium (CB-ATON-M): LOA 18 ft, beam 7 ft 6 in, draft 14 in, fuel 40 US gal, weight 2,500 lb, Max hp 250. Originally designated the Aids to Navigation Boat - Punt (AB-PNT) is used by Construction Tenders to transport equipment to a construction site and also used at small boat stations for emergency response to floods or areas where a shallow water response is necessary. *16-ft Aids to Navigation Boat – Skiff (AB-SKF): LOA 16 ft, beam 6 ft 10 in, draft 6 in, fuel 12 US gal, weight 800 lb, 60 hp. The AB-SKF is deployed from Coast Guard cutters (ships) or Aids to Navigation Teams in support of mission activities primarily in support of aid to navigation servicing, construction, repair and discrepancy response. The AB-SKF and CB-ATON-M were apparently procured to replace the UTL (Utility Boat Light), which was a variety of non-standard small boat types.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uscg Aids To Navigation Boat Aids to navigation boat, USCG Aids to navigations boat Navigational aids