Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg Gets 154-foot Fast Response Cutter

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg is getting its first 154-foot fast response cutter "Pablo Valent", a Sentinel-class vessel, where the crew will begin training to become certified in law enforcement and rescue operations.

Pablo Valent is scheduled to be officially commissioned on May 11, 2022. It will operate throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys. There are 12 other FRCs in Florida, which operate throughout the  Caribbean Sea.

Fast response cutters are multi-mission ships designed to conduct: drug and migrant interdictions; ports, waterways, and coastal security operations;  fisheries and environmental protection patrols; national defense missions; and search and rescue.

Each cutter is designed for a crew of 24, has a range of 2,500 miles, and is equipped for patrols for up to five days. The fast response cutters are part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s overall fleet modernization initiative.

They feature advanced command, control, communications, computers,  intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment as well as over-the-horizon response boat deployment capability and improved habitability for the crew. The ships can reach speeds of 28 knots and are equipped to coordinate operations with partner agencies and long-range Coast Guard assets such as the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutters.