USCGC James completes builder’s sea trials

USCGC James, the fifth Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC) of the US Coast Guard, has completed builder’s sea trials, as announced by Huntington Ingalls on 7 April.

The NSC underwent three days of sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico. Ingalls’ test and trials team lead the trials, conducting extensive testing of the propulsion, electrical, damage control, anchor handling, small boat operations and combat systems. This culminated in the ship completing a four-hour, full-power propulsion run.

Ingalls has delivered four NSCs so far and has three more, including James, under construction. A construction contract was recently awarded for an eighth NSC.

Richard Schenk, vice president, programme management and test and trials, Ingalls, said: ‘Our Ingalls/coast guard team worked tirelessly during the three days, and the ship performed well.

‘The Ingalls operating crew performed more than 180 events and handled each one with the utmost professionalism. It is obvious to all who sailed on builder’s trials that NSC 5 is ready for her acceptance trials at the end of April.’

Jim French, NSC programme manager, Ingalls Shipbuilding, said: ‘Any time we get the opportunity to take a new ship to sea, it is always something special and this trip was no exception.

‘Our shipbuilding team continues to incorporate learning from ship to ship, making this a very stable programme across the board. We’ve got a good NSC core team who work the same areas of each ship, and we are seeing the benefits associated with this serial production. It’s the most affordable way to build a class of ships.’