Arbitrary Whiskey Mystery Cache

NOTE: This cache is 1 of 16 associated with the Ol' Salty Dog's Maritime Mixer cache series.

Find your way to the physical cache container at the coordinates revealed by solving the puzzle below. In the physical cache container, attached to the log, you will find a "puzzle piece" that will get you one step closer to finding Ol' Salty Dog's Maritime Mixer.

In February 1942 the Coast Guard adopted the Navy's ship classification system whereby a vessel was designated with a two-letter abbreviation based on the type of ship and its hull number. Thus, the large, sea-going cruising cutters of the first class became gunboats, or "PG." To differentiate them from their Navy counterparts, all Coast Guard cutters were given the prefix "W" at that same time. No one knows for sure why the Navy and Coast Guard picked the letter "W" to designate a Coast Guard vessel although rumors abound. In any case, the practice stuck and each cutter still bears the "W."

The service also began assigning an exclusive hull number to each cutter and craft at this time. Prior to 1941, the Coast Guard and its predecessors generally never assigned hull numbers to its larger cutters or tenders, it simply referred to them only by their names. There were exceptions to this practice, however. During the 1920s, patrol boats and the destroyers loaned to the Coast Guard by the Navy did receive hull numbers. Those hull numbers were preceded by the letters "CG." The destroyers kept their names as well, so they were the first and only Coast Guard named-vessels, up to that time, that also had hull numbers.

After the end of the war and the Coast Guard's transfer back to the control of the Treasury Department, the Coast Guard continued to use the Navy's system. The large, sea-going cutters were classified primarily as "WPG," "WDE", and "WAVP" (Coast Guard gunboats; Coast Guard destroyer escorts; and Coast Guard seaplane tenders). This changed in 1965 when the service adopted its own designation system and these large cutters were then grouped together into one class that was referred to as Coast Guard High Endurance Cutters or "WHEC." The coastal cutters once known as "Cruising cutters, Second Class" and then "WPC" (Coast Guard patrol craft) under the Navy system were now Coast Guard Medium Endurance Cutters, or "WMEC." Patrol boats continued to be referred to by their Coast Guard/Navy designation, i.e. "WPB. " These designations refer to the cutters' capabilities in regards to the length of time they may spend on patrol without replenishment.

Regardless of their changing designations, the cutters in the fleet have always been capable of handling a multitude of missions, sail in any weather, and persevere through any crisis the nation has had. Most have been long-lived as well.

Listed and described below are eight Coast Guard cutters, seven of which are in service today. Each of these cutters are named and have an assigned hull number. Utilize your sleuthing skills and determine the hull number for each of these cutters. The last digit of each hull number (annotated as A through H) will provide the needed number for each missing decimal minute digit of this puzzle cache's coordinates.

		USCGC Sycamore (WLB-##A) The Sycamore is a seagoing buoy tender homeported in Cordova, Alaska, and normally tends aids-to-navigation (ATON) buoys, however she is also responsible for maintenance support of National Data Buoy Center's offshore weather buoys.
		USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-#B) The Polar Star is a heavy icebreaker homeported in Seattle, Washington, and operates under the control of Pacific Area and coordinates its operations through the Ice Operations Section of the US Coast Guard. She is the US's only heavy icebreaker.
		USCGC Seneca (WMEC-##C) The Seneca is a Famous-class medium endurance cutter homeported in Boston, Massachusetts that is an effective Search and rescue (SAR) and Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE) platform. Seneca's actions contributed to making Operation New Frontier the most successful counter-drug operation in Coast Guard history.
		USCGC James (WMSL-##D) The James is a new Legend-class cutter homeported in Charleston, South Carolina. The James served as a command and control platform in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the crew deployed to aid in Hurricane Maria response operations and the ship's communications capabilities were used to help responders coordinate efforts on the island.
		USCGC Mobile Bay (WTGB-##E) The Mobile Bay is an icebreaking tug homeported in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and is equipped with a 120-foot Aids-to-Navigation barge. The vessel was specifically designed as an icebreaker, but also carries out missions in search and rescue, environmental pollution response, maritime law enforcement and Homeland Security.
		USCGC Sherman (WHEC-##F) The Sherman was a Hamilton-class high endurance cutter launched on September 3, 1968 and last homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was responsible for the largest drug bust in US history and the largest interdiction at sea. She was transferred to the Sri Lanka Navy and recommissioned June 6, 2019 as SLNS Gajabahu (P626).
		USCGC Barracuda (WPB-####G) The Barracuda is a Marine Protector class cutter homeported in Eureka, California. Missions include combating drug smuggling, illegal immigration, marine fisheries enforcement and search and rescue support.
		USCGC Liberty (WPB-###H) The Liberty is an Island-class cutter homeported in Auke Bay, Alaska, where she patrols territorial waters, including the Inside Passage. Her primary missions are search and rescue, law enforcement, force protection, and Homeland Security.