Ingalls delivers NSC James

Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, delivered the National Security Cutter (NSC) James (WMSL 754) to the US Coast Guard on 5 June. The ship will be commissioned in Boston, Massachusetts on 8 August.

The Legend-class NSC James is the fifth vessel of its type to be built by Ingalls Shipbuilding for the coast guard. This fleet will replace the 378ft Hamilton-class cutters, and will perform maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defence missions.

Jim French, NSC programme manager, Ingalls Shipbuilding, said: ‘Ingalls shipbuilders continue to prove they’re committed to building the world’s best ships. The NSC programme continues to prove the benefits of continuous production, which allows us to learn and improve from ship to ship.

‘From this learning, we are able to build quality ships affordably, safely and on schedule, all the while maintaining the industry standards. All of the Ingalls-built NSCs have been top quality, and James is no exception.’

The Legend-class cutters have a length of 418ft, beam of 54ft and displacement of 4,500 tons. They have a top speed of 28 knots, endurance of 60 days and range of 12,000 miles.

The vessel has an aft launch and recovery area that can accommodate two rigid-hull inflatable boats, and a flight deck for unmanned and manned rotorcraft.