USCG receives seventh NSC
The US Coast Guard received its seventh National Security Cutter (NSC), Kimball, in Pascagoula, Mississippi on 19 September.
Kimball is scheduled for commissioning at its Honolulu homeport in January 2019 and will be the first NSC to be stationed there.
The NSCs feature advanced C4ISR equipment; aviation support facilities; and stern cutter boat launch. The 418ft cutters have an endurance of 60 to 90 days and can serve as operational-level headquarters for complex law-enforcement, defence and national security missions involving coast guard and multiple partner agency participation.
The NSCs will be replacing the 378ft high-endurance cutters of the 1960s-era.
A total of six NSCs are currently in service. Coast Guard cutters Hamilton and James are stationed in Charleston, South Carolina and cutters Bertholf, Waesche, Stratton and Munro are stationed in Alameda, California. Midgett, the eighth cutter, is planned for a 2019 delivery; it will be the second NSC stationed in Honolulu. The ninth cutter, Stone, is slated for delivery in 2021. The coast guard awarded a contract in March 2018 for long lead time materials for the tenth NSC.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Beyond GPS: How LEO satellites are changing the game in naval navigation]()
Beyond GPS: How LEO satellites are changing the game in naval navigation
Satellite navigation is increasingly critical for global maritime defence, and Low Earth Orbit satellites are rapidly overtaking the traditional and more widely used Medium Earth Orbit option as they are less susceptible to jamming or spoofing.
-
![US continues to review AUKUS submarine deal as HII ticks off new Virginia-class sea trials]()
US continues to review AUKUS submarine deal as HII ticks off new Virginia-class sea trials
The initial sea trials for Virginia-class SSN 798 conducted by Newport News Shipbuilding division and the US Navy marked an “important step”, but the ongoing AUKUS review casts a shadow over what the progress means for the partner nations.
-
![US Navy confirms Q2 FY2026 contract award for Tomahawk Block V modernisation]()
US Navy confirms Q2 FY2026 contract award for Tomahawk Block V modernisation
The agreement with Raytheon will comprise the acquisition and delivery of maritime seeker suite technologies and processing capabilities for 35 to 96 missiles.
