Shipbuilders erected the final grand block unit on the U.S. Coast Guard's first Deepwater National Security Cutter, signifying a crucial construction milestone in the shipyard and shipbuilding program's recovery effort following a series of storm events. The workers constructing Bertholf (WMSL 750), being built at Northrop Grumman Corporation's Pascagoula facility, utilized innovative production techniques to keep the ship on track despite the challenges posed by
Tropical Storm Cindy and Hurricanes Dennis and Katrina.
Northrop Grumman's Ship Systems sector is building the ship at their Pascagoula facility, under contract from Integrated Coast GuardSystems LLP, a joint venture of Northrop Grumman and
Lockheed Martin.
The National Security Cutter will be a 418-foot ship with a 4,300-ton displacement at full load. Powered by a twin-screw combined diesel-and-gas turbine-power propulsion plant, the NSC is designed to travel at 28 knots max speed. The cutter will include an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid-hull inflatable boats; a flight deck to accommodate a range of rotary-wing manned and unmanned aircraft and state-of-the-art command-and-control electronics.