Press Release
New Boat Will Help Coast Guard Patrol Lake Erie-Vessel Can Be Outfitted With Machine Guns
CLEVELAND -- The Coast Guard is doing a lot more than search and rescue these days; after Sept. 11, its duties expanded to anti-terror operations.
NewsChannel5 reported that only 50 miles of Lake Erie water separate the United States mainland from Canada, and the border is just 20 miles away from Lorain.
The Coast Guard is now patrolling the waters of Lake Erie for suspicious-looking activity and illegal immigration as well as boaters in trouble.
A new boat will help officers do just that. The boat is faster and stealthier than previous vessels and can be outfitted with machine guns if Lake Erie becomes the next battleground against terrorism.
"That's not the traditional route to transit -- through our area -- but it's always possible," said James Herbert of the Coast Guard. "If you stop people using other routes, they look for different alternatives."
The new boat is powered by a 200-horsepower outboard and uses a state-of-the-art sophisticated radar system.
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