USCG accepts 20th FRC
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has accepted delivery of its 20th Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC), USCGC Lawrence Lawson, it announced on 21 October.
This will be the second FRC to be stationed at Cape May, New Jersey, following its commissioning in early 2017.
The USCG is acquiring 58 Sentinel-class FRCs that will patrol coastal regions of the US and replace the 110ft Island-class patrol boats. The FRCs are 154ft in length and have an endurance of five days. They have command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment and can launch and recover standardised cutter boats from side davits or from astern.
A total of 38 FRCs have been ordered so far from Bollinger Shipyards, with 18 already in service: six each in Key West, San Juan and Miami. The 19th FRC will be commissioned in November 2016 and station at Cape May.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.