Artist Being Deployed By Coast Guard

The artist’s mission is to collect reference material of the ship and crew as they perform their duties on the new ship. Ron is also to collect images that are unique features of the new National Security cutters.

Guthrie has been involved in the Coast Guard Art Program, COGAP, for 5 years. This is the artists’ first deployment on a Coast Guard ship. Artists in COGAP are periodically sent on short deployments to get reference material for future paintings submitted to the Coast Guard Art Collection.

As a COGAP artist Guthrie feels fortunate to be shipping out for 4 days on the Stratton. The Legend-Class cutter Stratton has the ability to patrol from the Bearing Strait to South America. These new 418-foot Legend Class cutters are fast, very high tech and will be replacing the reliable but aging Hamilton Class cutters built in the 1960’s. The Stratton with its latest in electronics systems will perform alien migrant interdiction operations, fisheries protection, search and rescue, counter-narcotics and homeland security missions. “She’s a brand new ship”, says Guthrie, “it’s my first deployment and I am honored to have been asked to spend some time on her”.