The USCGC Hamilton is a 378 foot High Endurance Cutter. The Hamilton is the first of this class and the following HEC's have been designated as Hamilton Class Cutters. The mission for this class is law enforcement, search & rescue, and a variety of research functions. These are the largest cutters (other than icebreakers) in commission. The cutter operates with a crew of 165, has a maximum speed of 29 knots and typically will remain underway for 90-120 days. The Hamilton was commissioned in 1967, saw action in Vietnam and was modernized from 1985-1989. The cutter was stationed in Boston at one time and then was relocated to the west coast (San Diego, CA) in the early 90's, which is where it is now. The patch was made when the cutter was in Boston during the late 1980's early 1990's. It shows the cutter with it's post moderization upgrades.
