Coast Guard opens up its cutter 'Nantucket' for tours

A chance to tour a Coast Guard cutter proved irresistible to hundreds of people who attended an open house on Friday.

The free event at the U.S. Coast Guard St. Petersburg Sector drew a steady stream of visitors who got an up-close look at the tools used to maintain safety on the nation's waters.

A highlight of the open house was a tour of the 110-foot-long Coast Guard cutter Nantucket. Once on board, visitors got a look at the spic-and-span ship's sleeping quarters, mess hall, galley and bridge. Eighteen crew members work aboard the ship, whose primary mission is to patrol the Straits of Florida between Miami and Cuba.

Another highlight for visitors was a helicopter from the Clearwater Coast Guard Air Station. The chopper did touch-and-go landings and performed two simulated water rescues that threw up spray in the bay as a service member was lowered to a "dummy" victim below.

Several tables had also been set up to explain everything from buoys and light markers to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, to the small arms that Coast Guard members use.