MARQUETTE -- If you were in Mattson Lower Harbor Park Monday, you may have noticed a big boat in the middle of the parking lot. It's the latest addition to the Coast Guard's fleet.
The new boat is a 45 footer, much larger and more capable than their smaller 25-foot boat. The new boat can tackle waves up to 12 feet high; their smaller vessel can only manage six foot waves.
The Coast Guard says the bigger boat will be very useful in the U.P.'s extreme conditions.
"We're limited a lot by the weather, especially in the fall when the weather comes in, and we're limited a lot in what we can do, and these boats can help with that," said Petty Officer Richard Toledo. "It's a larger platform with more assets available to us, and we're very excited to get it and learn everything about it and use it in the community to help out."
The new boat will replace one of the Coast Guard's outdated 30-foot vessels.
Contractor Marinette Marine will be running tests on the boat until Wednesday.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC