Austal USA Begins Building Its First Offshore Patrol Cutter for the US Coast Guard

Austal USA held a ceremony marking the official start of construction on the first U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) to be built at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard. The vessel, named Pickering (WSMM 919), is the lead vessel in a series potentially comprising up to 11 cutters under a contract valued at $3.3 billion.

Designed at 360 feet in length, the OPC program is set to replace the Coast Guard's aging medium endurance cutters, filling a crucial role between the open-ocean national security cutters and the coastal fast response cutters. 

The OPC will operate primarily beyond 12 nautical miles from shore, enhancing the Coast Guard's offshore operations over a range of missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, and search and rescue. With a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots and an endurance of up to 60 days, each OPC will be capable of independent deployment or operation within task groups. The cutters can also act as mobile command centers during surge operations like hurricane responses and mass migration incidents, as well as support Arctic missions by regulating and protecting new commerce and energy exploration in Alaska.

The 11 Heritage class cutters being built by Austal USA, designated as Stage 2 of the overall OPC program, follow the first four OPCs being built by Florida shipbuilder Eastern Shipbuilding Group. Eastern’s initial OPC award in 2016 was for ships 1-11, but the Coast Guard later modified the contract after Hurricane Michael landed a direct hit on Eastern’s shipyard in 2018.

In 2019, the Coast Guard revised its OPC acquisition strategy and opened a competitive bid process for OPCs five and through 15. Austal USA landed this contract in June 2022.

In preparation for the OPC program, Austal USA has invested over $500 million to expand its facilities, including the construction of a new 192,000 square-foot assembly building. This facility will feature three bays, two of which are specifically designed for OPC assembly, further enhancing the company’s capacity to produce both aluminum and steel ships concurrently.

“Austal USA is excited to begin construction on the first of these high priority cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard,” commented Dave Growden, Austal USA's vice president of new construction programs. “This contract exemplifies the flexibility of our workforce and importance of our steel panel line to Austal USA’s future success. Our multi-talented shipbuilders are well prepared to demonstrate their capability to produce the same high-quality steel ship as they have been producing for our aluminum programs.”

The Coast Guard has said it intends to commission up to 25 Heritage-class cutters over the next two decades.