USCGC Point Divide
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 Maritime Instructor, ex-Point Divide | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Point Divide |
| Owner | United States Coast Guard |
| Builder | Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, Maryland |
| Commissioned | 19 September 1962 |
| Decommissioned | 30 March 1995 |
| Fate | Transferred to Seattle Maritime Academy |
 United States | |
| Name | Maritime Instructor |
| Owner | Seattle Maritime Academy |
| Identification |
|
| General characteristics as built | |
| Type | Point-class patrol boat |
| Displacement | 66.1 tons, full load |
| Length | 82 ft 10 in (25.25 m) |
| Beam | 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m) max |
| Draft | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 800 hp (597 kW) Cummins diesel engines |
| Speed | 23.7 knots (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph) |
| Complement | 8 men |
| Armament | 1 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon |
USCGC Point Divide (WPB-82337) was an 82-foot (25 m) Point-class cutter constructed for the United States Coast Guard. She was built and commissioned in 1962 for use as a law enforcement, harbor patrol, and search and rescue boat. She was stationed in Southern California until 1995 when she was decommissioned.
The cutter was donated to the Seattle Maritime Academy for use as a training vessel in 1995. She was renamed Maritime Instructor, and remains in service with the school.
Point Divide was constructed at the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, Maryland. Her keel was laid on 4 December 1961.[1] Her hull was built of welded steel plates while her superstructure was built of aluminum to save weight. Over the course of Point-class production there were several modifications to the original design. Point Divide was a C-series cutter. As built, her hull was 82 ft 10 in (25.25 m) long overall, with a beam of 17 feet 7 inches (5.36 m), and a full load draft of 5.75 feet (1.75 m). She displaced 66.1 long tons, fully loaded.[2][3]
Point Divide was originally powered by two 12-cylinder Cummins VT-12-M Diesel engines, each of which developed 800 horsepower. These each drove a five-bladed, fixed-pitch propeller which was 3.5 feet (1.1 m) in diameter.[4] This propulsion package gave the cutter a maximum speed of 23.7 knots.[3] The engine exhausts ran through the transom, rather than a conventional stack, giving better all-around visibility on the bridge.[5]
In 1989, the Coast Guard awarded Caterpillar a $5.7 million contract to replace the main engines in 43 of the Point-class cutters, including Point Divide. Two 12-cylinder Caterpillar 3412 engines, each rated at 750 horsepower, were installed. They were each connected to a Twin-Disc 518-M transmission.[6] These engines remain aboard today.[7]
Electrical power on the patrol boat was provided by two 20 Kw Cummins generators.[3]
Her fuel tanks held 1,830 US gallons (6,900 L) of Diesel oil which gave her an unrefueled range of 1584 miles. Her potable water tanks held 1,270 US gallons (4,800 L) of fresh water.[3]
Point Divide's original complement was eight enlisted sailors, led by a chief petty officer.[8]
The main armament of Point Divide was an Oerlikon 20 mm cannon.[1]
Since the Coast Guard policy in 1962 was not to name cutters under 100 feet (30 m) in length she was designated as WPB-82337 when commissioned. She acquired the name Point Divide in 1964 when the Coast Guard named all cutters longer than 65-foot (20 m).[9] The Coast Guard's original intent is not clear today, but the only geographic feature currently recognized as "Point Divide" by the United States Geological Survey is at the entrance to Herendeen Bay on the Alaska Peninsula. It is possible that this is the cutter's namesake.[10]
