Reconnaissance Equipment News

The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Maurice Jester (WPC-1152), was commissioned on Friday at Fort Adams State Park, R.I.Lt. Terry Netusil, assumed command of the cutter during a ceremony presided over by Vice Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander. The Maurice Jester is the third of six Fast Response Cutters that will be homeported in Boston, serving along the 1st Coast Guard District.Built by Bollinger Shipyards, the Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC) is designed for multiple missions…

The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Warren Deyampert (WPC-1151), was commissioned at Coast Guard Base Boston, March 30.Chief Warrant Officer Lance DeFoggi, assumed command of the cutter during a ceremony presided over by Vice Admiral Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander. The Warren Deyampert is the second of six Fast Response Cutters that will be homeported in Boston, serving along the 1st Coast Guard District.Built by Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards…

Manama, Bahrain -- Advancing maritime domain awareness in the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) is a challenging task. Yet keeping the sea lanes open is critical for the region, for the U.S. and the world.U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) are all headquartered here in Bahrain, under the command of Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. U.S. Fifth Fleet oversees the operations for all U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter William Chadwick (WPC-1150) was commissioned Thursday at Coast Guard Base Boston, as the first of six Fast Response Cutters to be stationed in the city.Admiral Steven Poulin, Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, and Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander, 1st Coast Guard District, oversaw the ceremony, as Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Kelley assumed command of the 154-foot cutter and its crew. Under Kelly’s command, the 24-person crew will now conduct missions offshore of the Northeast United States.Built by Bollinger Shipyards…

The USCGC Baranof (WPB 1318) was decommissioned during a ceremony aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Monday.“USCGC Baranof’s exemplary service to our nation is a testament to both the Island-class platform and the crews that have manned Baranof over the past 34 years,” said Vice Adm. Kevin Lunday, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, who presided over the ceremony. “Whether it was conducting law enforcement and search and rescue in the Caribbean, or deploying to the present-day homeport of Bahrain to support U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the 48th Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC) Pablo Valent (WPC 1148) into service at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., Wednesday.Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Seventh District, presided over the ceremony. Cecilia Guillot, Valent’s great-niece, is the ship's sponsor.The cutter’s namesake Pablo Valent was originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, and joined the United States Life-Saving Service in 1912.

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…

The U.S. Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller, the service's 38th Sentinel-class fast response cutter, at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, Wednesday.Rear Adm. John Nadeau, Eighth Coast Guard District commander, presided over the commissioning ceremony, along with Lt. Michael Salerno, Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller’s commanding officer.Like her sister ships USCGC Harold Miller (WPC-1138) was built by Bollinger Shipyards, in Lockport, La.

The U.S. Coast Guard is naming the 11th Legend-Class National Security Cutter (NSC) in honor of Elizebeth Smith Friedman.Friedman was a pioneering code-breaker for the Coast Guard during the Prohibition Era and World War II, serving within the Coast Guard Cryptanalytic Unit-387. She has been dubbed "America's first female cryptanalyst" and in many ways could be considered the founder of the modern-day Coast Guard Intelligence Program.Her work with the Coast Guard began soon after the passage of the Volstead Act, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or trade of alcohol in the United States.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced that two new Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) will be named in honor of Coast Guard reservists who served in the New York City Police Department and New York City Fire Department and lost their lives responding on 9/11.Adm. Karl Schultz, Coast Guard Commandant, is scheduled to announce that the new Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) will be named in honor of Port Security Specialist 2nd Class Vincent Danz and Machinery Technician 1st Class Jeffrey Palazzo.Danz served as a Coast Guard Reservist, as well as an NYPD officer at the Emergency Services Unit in the Bronx. He responded on 9/11 to aid…

The Coast Guard commissioned the newest California-based 154-foot Fast Response Cutter in San Diego, Wednesday.The Benjamin Bottoms is the fourth Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to be homeported at Base Los Angeles-Long Beach.While these ships will be based in San Pedro, they will operate throughout the 11th Coast Guard District, which includes all of California and international waters off of Mexico and Central America. "Radioman First Class Benjamin Bottoms is a Coast Guard hero," said Adm. Charles Ray, the Coast Guard vice commandant.

The Coast Guard commissioned a new, California-based 154-foot Fast Response Cutter in San Francisco, Saturday, March 2, 2019.The Coast Guard Cutter Robert Ward is the second of four Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRC) to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach.While these ships will be based in Southern California, they will operate throughout the 11th Coast Guard District, which includes all of California and international waters off of Mexico and Central America.“This cutter is specifically designed to face today’s threats in the maritime domain,” said Rear Adm.

With a motto of Always Ready, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has 11 missions specified by law including drug and migrant interdiction; ports, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. The USCG’s newest ships including 22 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) recently entered service with 36 more on order and six new National Security Cutters (NSCs) with two more in the process of being built. Oil analysis plays a critical role in the…

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned North Carolina’s second Fast Response Cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Nathan Bruckenthal, during a ceremony in Alexandria, Va., today.The 154-foot vessel was built by Bollinger Shipyards and is based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It was delivered to the Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. earlier this year.FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment that allow their…

The Coast Guard commissioned North Carolina's first Fast Response Cutter, the Richard Snyder, during a ceremony in Atlantic Beach. FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment that allow their crews to more effectively conduct the Coast Guard’s statutory missions. The cutter is named after Richard Snyder, a World War II hero known for his brave actions in battle defending troops coming to shore on the Island of Biak at the western edge of Papua New Guinea. Snyder was awarded the Silver Star, and was entitled to six bronze stars on his campaign ribbons, which included the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126), Hawaii's second Sentinel-class cutter, was commissioned into service at Coast Guard Base Honolulu, Friday. Vice Adm. Fred M. Midgette, commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, presided over the ceremony accepting the second of three 154-foot fast response cutters to be stationed in Hawaii. The cutter's sponsor Stella Gerczak, who is Joseph Gerczak’s sister, was also in attendance at the ceremony. "We are excited to continue the…

The U.S. Coast Guard awarded a contract to Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc., of Panama City, Florida, Thursday for the production of the lead Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) and up to eight follow-on cutters. The total award was valued at $110.29 million. The contract has a potential value of $2.38 billion with options to produce nine cutters. The OPC acquisition will replace the service’s aging fleet of medium endurance cutters, some that are in excess of 50 years old. Each OPC will feature a flight deck and advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment. The OPC will provide a capability bridge between the National Security Cutter and the Fast Response Cutter, which operates closer to shore.

In February, the U.S. Coast Guard chose three finalists to design its new Offshore Patrol Cutters, with awards to Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La., Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Fla. and General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works in Maine. Each company was awarded a Phase I design contract valued at between $21 million and $22 million. At the end of the 18-month Preliminary and Contract Design Phase I, the Coast Guard will choose one company’s team for a Phase II Detailed Design and Construction contract for the lead OPC.

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works a $21.4 million contract for the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program. Bath Iron Works is one of three shipyards chosen from a field of eight competitors to proceed to Phase I design work on this next-generation cutter program. The Bath Iron Works team includes L-3 Communications (New York, N.Y.) and Navantia, S.A. (Spain), a shipbuilder that Bath Iron Works has collaborated with for more than 30 years. Bath Iron Works president Fred Harris said the Coast Guard design contract was an important development as the shipyard seeks to expand its customer base and maintain its design and manufacturing workload.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Northrop Grumman laid the keel for the future Coast Guard Cutter Stratton, the service's third National Security Cutter, at 1 p.m, July 20. At Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Gulf Coast shipyard, Pascagoula, Miss., ceremoniously marking the beginning of Stratton's construction. First lady Michelle Obama will serve as Stratton's sponsor. This is the first time a first lady has ever sponsored a Coast Guard cutter. As the sponsor the first lady will be involved in the life of the cutter.

submarine, took a significant step towards rejoining the fleet on Dec. sweep of its initial sea trials. The Ohio's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. with the ship's performance and noted its great potential. demonstrating the tremendous capability this ship brings to the fleet. options in the Navy," said Rear. Adm. Officer for Submarines. converted into SSGNs. USS Georgia (SSGN 729), are all slated to rejoin the fleet by 2007. Trident Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles. cruise missiles, for a maximum load of 154 missiles per boat. (SOF) lock-in/lock-out chambers. up to 66 SOF operators for an extended period of time. ranges for use by the operators. the lock-in/lock-out chambers as their docking sites. of missions," said Capt. David Norris, SSGN Program Manager (PMS 398).

In a recent Special Edition of its newsletter, the American Shipbuilding Association said top priority should be given to the USCG Deepwater Project. "The Integrated Deepwater Systems Capabilities Replacement Project is the most important and vital acquisition in the history of the USCG. The Deepwater project is the replacement and modernization of the USCG's current Deepwater assets - some of which rely on 1950s technology - with a 21st century integrated system of ships, aircraft and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment. Out of the USCG's 41 high and medium cutters, approximately 30 - or 70 percent - were built more than 25 years ago and have already completed one fleet modernization.

In a recent Special Edition of its newsletter, the American Shipbuilding Association said top priority should be given to the USCG Deepwater Project. "The Integrated Deepwater Systems Capabilities Replacement Project is the most important and vital acquisition in the history of the USCG. The Deepwater project is the replacement and modernization of the USCG's current Deepwater assets - some of which rely on 1950s technology - with a 21st century integrated system of ships, aircraft and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment. Out of the USCG's 41 high and medium cutters, approximately 30 - or 70 percent - were built more than 25 years ago and have already completed one fleet modernization.