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Post WW II
The cutters were used for SAR (at that time the CG towed broken down vessels to the port of their choice!!) and Harbor Entrance Patrol (HEP). The cutters on SAR duty were on 15 minute call which meant that when dispatched, they were to be underway within that amount of time. On occasion an 83 footer would pull escort duty at yacht races.
Home Ports and Mission This is a partial listing of known home ports from posts by 83' sailors. The dates are when one or more sailors served on the cutter. The cutters were most likely at these ports for a longer time. Some cutters were reassigned to another port. We need your help to complete this History. Email inputs to webmaster–see bottom of Home Page Alameda, CA 83300 (1959-60) ? 83391 (1956-62) ? 83397 (1957-60) ? 83370 (1957) ? 83411 (?) 83484 (1961-62)? Anacortes, WA 83483 (1962-63) ? Astoria, OR 83378 (19??-54) ? Boston, MA 83488 (1951- 54) HEP /SAR 83503 (1958-'59) COTP Beal Island, ME 83360 (1956) ? Cape May, NJ 83464 (1949-58) HEP/SAR 83490 (1954-58) HEP/SAR 83518 (1954-61) HEP/SAR 83427 (1954) HEP/SAR 83529 (1960-62)HEP/SAR Charleston, SC 83497 - Diesel (1958-59) HEP/SAR 83501 (1958-59) HEP/SAR Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Island 83596 (1952-57) SAR Crisfield, MD 83504 (1955-61) SAR [Also Little Creek, MD] Fire Island, NY 83464 (1960) ? Fort Bragg, CA Friday Harbor, WA 83483 (1957-62) ? Galveston, TX 83389 (1952-60) ? Grand Isle, LA 83491 (1956-60) ? Honolulu, HI 83394 (1954) ? Lewes. DE 83464-(Diesel (1955) HEP/SAR Little Creak Va. Los Angles, CA 83320 (1958-60) ? Long Beach, CA 83450 (1955-57) HEP/SAR Mayport , FL 83463 (1956) ? Miami Beach 83455 (1950-54+) SAR Mobile, AL 83499 (1951) ? Monterey, CA 83412 (1947-49) ? Nantucket, MA 83503 (1950-58) SAR New London, CT 83346 (1958-60) HEP/SAR Newport Beach, CA 83452 (1961-62) SAR Norfolk, VA 83435 (1952) ? 83312 (1949-52) ? Pascagoula, MS 83499 (1955-59) 83389 (1951) ? Port Angeles, WA 83523 (1948-50) ? Port Aransas, TX Point Loma, San Diego, CA 83300 (1950-52) ? Portsmouth, NH 83487-Diesel (1952-58) SAR Port Townsend, WA 83378 (1954-61) HEP 83484 (1957-61) HEP 83481 (1958–60) HEP 83453 (1953–61) HEP Provincetown, MA 83486 - Diesel (1951-56) SAR Sandy Hook, NJ 83381 (1955-56)? St Thomas, VI 83506 (1956) SAR San Francisco 83397 (1954-568) ? San Juan, PR 83400 (1949-57) SAR 83455 (1949-57) ? San Pedro 83337 (1947-48) ? Tacoma, WA 83512 (1953) ? 83527 (1948-56) HEP Terminal Island., CA 83484 (1961) ? 83450 (1957-61) ? Vallejo, CA 83412 (1961-63) SAR Wake Island, Pacific 83394 (1952-54) SAR Woods Hole MA 83388 (1951-55) SAR 83487 - Diesel (1961) SAR The last cutter was decommissioned on April 15, 1963.
Today
Below are the known
privately own 83 footers afloat today. The 83527 (update below) in the peace
time configuration (and converted to diesel), the 83487 was converted to a
charter yacht named the "Elfin" out of Western Canada, the 83482 which was also
converted to a yacht named the "Dragon Lady" and is used for charter fishing out
of Sitka, Alaska, the 83394 was also converted and named Noel. She is
presently in South Alabama having work done. When completed, she will be moved
to North Carolina. The 83525 presetly named "Adams Dream". For some post-CG
history of the 83525, click here. The 83366,
the M/V "Tiburon" ,just completer a major overhaul in Seattle, WA. The
exterior has change little. Click here for more photos.
The 83345, the M/V True Blue, does Charters out of
Sitka, AK.
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Other than the WW II history reference to the 83-footers being decommissioned
after the war, there is one reference that implies that only 61 of the
cutters started their peace time duties. There is a 1950 CG post card of an
aerial view of Cape May that shows about 30 cutters in wet storage. Some of the
cutters were sold and converted to private yachts and fishing vessels. Of the
cutters that were re-commissioned the configuration was changed. The mouse trap,
depth charge racks and sonar were removed and the 20-mm gun was moved forward.
The "air scoop" ventilators were replaced with power ventilators and of course
the cutter was painted white. A crew of 8 (on average ) manned the peace time cutter: a BMC (OIC),
BM1, ENC or EN1, EN2, EN3, cook and 2 SN or variations there of. Many of the
crews lived aboard the cutter -- with no shower or running water (one pumped
it). After the start of the Korean "War" it is known that at least some (all?)
of the commissioned cutters were again modified (and armed) back to the WW II
configuration. At that time
the crew was increased by 3: an Ens, SO3 and GM3. 
