U.S. Coast Guard History Program
38-Foot Air Cushion Vehicle
Number: 38101 through 38103
Completed: 1969 (USN)
Oct 1970
Dec 1970
Feb 1971
Remarks: Tested for use in SAR, ATON, LE, & Marine Safety and Logistics; 2 were stationed at San Francisco and 1 in Alaska- later transferred to Great Lakes, CG-38101 and CG-38102 were transferred to the US Army Mobility Equipment research and Development Center on 25 April 1975; CG-38103 sank.
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Cost: N/A
Hull
Displacement (lbs): 20,000 fl
Length: 38’ 10"
Beam: 23’ 9"
Obstacle Clearance: 3’ 6" Solid wall; 5-6’ vegetation
Machinery
Main Engines: 1 GE marine gas turbine
SHP: 1,150
Propellers: Single
Performance
Max Speed 70 knots (1971)
Max Sustained: 50 knots, 300-mile radius
Logistics
Fuel Oil (95%): 484 gallons
Complement: 3 (1971)
Electronics
Radar: navigation type
Sources
Boat Files, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office.
Scheina, Robert L. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft, 1946-1990. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990.