At her decommissioning in 2011, she was the oldest serving cutter in the U.S. Coast Guard. Built in 1943, the Acushnet is 213 feet LOA. She’s well maintained, has four diesel engines with a total of 2,700 hp, will run at 15 knots and you can assume incredible range given her capacity to carry 191,000 gallons of fuel.

The price is $250,000, less than a new Ranger Tug. Unlike a Ranger, however, the ship does not come with anchors. More on that below.

Acushnet has spent the intervening years at Lovric’s Seacraft shipyard in Anacortes, Washington. She was essentially abandoned by a man who was imprisoned for cheating an elderly widow out of her life savings.

The Acushnet’s listing broker is Carl Pearson of Pacific Boat Brokers and here’s what he has to say:

The guys who bought it did not seem to know how to run it. They took ship to Friday Harbor, Washington  and apparently promptly lost the anchors. At that point the USCG took control and towed the ship to Lovrics Marina in Anacortes. There it sat, apparently these guys abandoned the ship, and after a few years Lovrics gained legal ownership. That is who owns it, despite some ‘noise” online that it was sold; it was not. Lovrics has spent a lot of money maintaining and bringing the machinery up to “good running” status. The ship is pretty much ready to go,but a prudent buyer would probably haul out and inspect/maintain hull before taking ship into ocean. We get literally hundreds of hits on our website every month,and dozens of direct inquiries, I guess mostly from “dreamers”.

By “guys” Pearson is referring to a man named Vernon Officer and any associates who may have helped him move the ship. Officer, then 52, met an elderly widow through an online dating service and convinced her that he would go to jail unless she fronted him the $625,000 he had bid for Acushnet at auction. Read Officer’s indictment.

VIDEOS OF ACUSHNET (including an interview with one of her officers at decommisioning.

SPECIFICATIONS

Overview

  • 1943 U.S. Navy built
  • 213′ x 39′ x 19′
  • Location: Washington

Power

  • 4 x Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines
  • Total power: 2700 hp
  • Gear: Driving DC motors for propulsion- diesel-electric
  • Engine hours: 55,000 est.
  • Cruising speed: 15 knots
  • Fuel tank: Many, steel, 191,000 gallons capacity (estimated)
  • Genset: 2 x Cat 250 kw, 1 x Cat 200 kw
  • Bilge pumps

Accommodations

  • Accommodation for crew of 80
  • Water tank: steel, 36500 gallons total
  • Showers
  • Hot water
  • Heating
  • Heads

Structural

  • All welded steel construction
  • Anchor handling gear system- no anchors

Additional

  • Life saving gear
  • Towing gear
  • 2 x Zodiac Hurricanes with diesel/outdrive
  • Batteries: Many- some are new