USCG sees light at end of tunnel for Offshore Patrol Cutter build
The head of the US Coast Guard has said that the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) programme was ‘back on track’, after damage to Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s two Florida facilities caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018 pushed delivery of the first in class (the future USCGC Argus) back to 2022.
The OPC build is one of three key surface ship recapitalisation efforts being undertaken by the USCG, along with the National Security Cutter (NSC) and Fast Response Cutter (FRC) programmes. Up to 25 OPCs will be procured by the USCG and are expected to serve until at least 2061.
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