USCG commissions 19th FRC
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has commissioned its 19th fast response cutter (FRC), USCGC Rollin Fritch, it announced on 21 November.
The 154ft FRC is designed to patrol close to shore, executing missions such as fishery patrols, drug and migrant interdiction, national defence and ports, waterways and coastal security.
The FRCs, which are replacing the Island-class 110ft patrol boats, feature advanced C4ISR equipment; improved habitability and seakeeping; and over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment capabilities to reach vessels of interest.
Rollin Fritch is the first FRC based in the USCG Fifth District, which includes inland and coastal waters from North Carolina’s southern border to parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The second FRC to be based in Cape May, the upcoming USCGC Lawrence Lawson, is scheduled to be commissioned in 2017.
The US has ordered 38 out of 58 possible FRCs. Currently 19 cutters are in service.
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