Tag Archives: USCGC Spencer (WMEC-905)

Spencer Finishes 20-Month Downgrade

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The 270-foot Famous (Bear) class medium endurance cutter USCGC Spencer (WMEC-905) commissioned 28 June 1986. A fighting little cutter designed and built in the final stretch of the Cold War, she was fundamentally designed to serve as a patrol frigate of sorts on convoy work should WWIII break out.

The class was built with an OTO Melara Mk 75 76mm/62cal mount installed forward as well as six positions for M2 .50 cals. The sensors were decent for the mid-1980s, including a receive-only AN/SLQ-32A(V)2 EW system, a pair of Mark 36 SRBOC launchers, an Mk 92 (Mod 1) FCS, an SPS-64 surface search radar (later updated to SPS-78), URN-25 Tacan, WSC-3 UHF Satcom, etc.

Further, space and weight were reserved for a single Mk 15 20mm CIWS and two quadruple Harpoon missile-launch canisters, giving the Bears some real teeth and at least a modicum of counter-air/missile capability.

The plan at the time of order/construction, would be for the 270s to carry van-mounted towed passive sonar array on fantail but that stalled and by 1988, $20 million had been allotted for a test on WMEC-907 to carry SQR-18A TASS, a SQR-17A sonobuoy analyzer, an APR-78 sonobuoy receiver, and a SKR-4 helicopter data-link receiver which would have made the ship LAMPS III (SH-60) compatible– making them not a bad little ASW platform.

But, with the end of he Cold War, and the Coast Guard told they wouldn’t have to fight any naval wars for at least the time being, all the cool stuff never materialized.

And even the stuff the cutters had keeps disappearing.

Spencer just wrapped up a 20-month service life extension program (SLEP) at the USCGY in Baltimore that “includes updates and replacements of electrical power generation and distribution systems, main diesel propulsion engines, and gun weapon systems.”

Spencer’s No. 1 Diesel had 100,000 hours on it. 

It was the first major work effort since all of the 270s went through a 12-month Mission Effectiveness Project (MEP) in two stages between 2007 and 2014, at which point they were all in their 20s.

While two sister ships, Harriet Lane (WMEC-903) and Seneca (WMEC-906), previously served as prototypes for the electrical and structural work, they did not get new engines, but Lane did get the weapons downgrade, which dumped the old familiar MK 75 OTO for a MK 38 Mod 3 25mm gun.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) crew renders honors to the Battleship Missouri Memorial as the Harriet Lane and crew return to home port in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on April 9, 2024. Note the 25mm in the place of the old 75. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Charly Tautfest)

The Slick 32 and Mk 92 remains, while the radar has been stepped down.

As detailed by the CG Acquisition Directorate (CG-9), “Spencer is the first of six medium endurance cutters scheduled to receive all major system overhauls including new main propulsion engines.” The rest of those half-dozen upgraded by 2030 will be Escanaba (WMEC-907), Tahoma (WMEC-908), Campbell (WMEC-909), Forward (WMEC-911), and Legare (WMEC-912).

As for the un-updated 270s– Bear (WMEC-901), Tampa (WMEC-902), Northland (WMEC-904), Thetis (WMEC-910), and Mohawk (WMEC-13)– I guess they will just carry on until tapped out although the service has announced they have fired the MK 75 for the last (planned) time. 

The SLEP will allow the upgraded 270s to go back to work for another decade until replaced by the building Offshore Patrol Cutter, which will at least have a Mk 110 57mm gun forward with a MK 38 Mod 3 25mm gun over the stern HH60-sized hangar, and four M2 .50 cal mounts.

I say replace the Mk38 with a C-RAM, shoehorn a towed sonar, ASW tubes, an 8-pack Mk41 VLS crammed with Sea Sparrows, and eight NSSMs aboard, and call it a day.

Bear Diesels

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Bluewater Navy guys are used to turbines. Surface guys know GE LM-2500 gas turbines which have been in just about everything (Sprucans/Kidds, Ticos, OHPs, Burkes, LHD8, etc) made after 1972. Carrier and sub nerds know their very peculiar types of glow-in-the-dark steam turbines. Even before that, you had the old oil-fired steam turbine era of the Knoxes and Adams, Fletchers and Gearings, Brooklyns and Cleavelands. You get the idea.

The Coast Guard, however, is all about diesel (except for the Ingalls-built frigate-sized Legend-class National Security Cutters which use LM-2500s). They are simple. They work. They can be maintained even under tough circumstances in third-world ports.

Take the story of the baker’s dozen Famous (Bear) class 270-foot cutters built in the 1980s. These corvette-sized 1,800 tonners use a pair of turbo-charged Beloit-built ALCO V18 diesel engines that have been dishing it out for 40 years.

Class leader USCGC Bear (WMEC-901) just hit 100,000 service hours on her original #1 Main Diesel Engine throughout 65 operational deployments since 1983.

The USCG Yard at Baltimore recently offered a rare look at the engine room of one of the class, USCGC Spencer (WMEC-905), which was commissioned in 1986. She is at the CGY swapping out her diesels for a new (to her) set.

A CG Yard team of professionals successfully removed two Main Diesel Engines this week, the first time on a 270-foot MEC. Preparations and planning took more than a year. Advance work included removing the “traveling” center section, the fixed hangar and massive accesses in the flight and and main decks. New MDEs will be set in place in the coming months. Congratulations Team on this historical evolution, completing it safely, professionally, and all fantastically before lunch! Wow!