USCGC Douglas Munro decommissioned

[Silberpfeil 363]

On Saturday, 24 April 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard's last Hamilton-class cutter was decommissioned after 49 years of service.  In ceremonies held at Coast Guard Base Kodiak,  WHEC-724 USCGC Douglas Munro was removed from the list of active duty cutters as the last of the 378-foot cutters.  This veteran of maritime security campaigns, drug interdiction, illegal migrant interceptions, fisheries patrols, high seas search and rescue efforts, and of Operations Iragi Freedom and Enduring Freedom was the tenth of twelve ships built during the late 1960's and early 1970's, and the last of that class of twelve to see service.  As with the others in her class, she will be replaced by the new 418-foot Legend-class national security cutters, which now serve as the U.S. Coast Guard’s primary long-range asset.