USCG Orders 8th National Security Cutter
The Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) was awarded a $499.8 million fixed-price incentive contract from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to build an eighth National Security Cutter (NSC), Midgett (WMSL 757).
Ingalls has already delivered four NSCs to the USCG and currently has three more under construction: James (WMSL 754), Munro (WMSL 755) and Kimball (WMSL 756), scheduled for delivery 2015, 2016 and 2018, respectively. Midgett is expected to be deliver in 2019.
NSCs, the flagships of the USCG's cutter fleet, are designed to replace the 378-foot Hamilton-class high-endurance cutters, which entered service during the 1960s. NSCs are 418 feet long with a 54-foot beam and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120.
"We are performing extremely well in this program, proving the point that serial production is the most efficient and effective way to build complex military ships," said Jim French, Ingalls' National Security Cutter program manager. "We continue to fold in learning for each ship we build, and the three under construction right now are tracking well because of this knowledge."
According to the builder, the Legend-class NSC is capable of meeting all maritime security mission needs required of the high-endurance cutter. The cutter includes an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid hull inflatable boats and a flight deck to accommodate a range of manned and unmanned rotary-wing aircraft. It is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in the USCG, with capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions. The Legend-class of cutters plays an important role in enhancing the USCG’s operational readiness, capacity and effectiveness at a time when the demand for their services has never been greater.
