March 29, 2018 —
Coast Guard Cutter James transits the Atlantic Ocean March 29, 2017. The ship is the fifth national security cutter, the largest and most technically advanced class of cutter in the Coast Guard, with robust capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement and national defense missions. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake.
The Coast Guard today awarded a contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi, to procure long lead time materials for the construction of the 10th national security cutter (NSC).
The contract is valued at approximately $94.4 million. This figure covers the initial order of components and materials necessary to support and sequence construction of the new cutter, including steel plating, propulsion systems, marine turbine/diesel engines, air search radar, ship integrated control system, switchboards and generators.
The NSCs feature advanced command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; aviation support facilities; stern cutter boat launch; and long-endurance station keeping. They are the Coast Guard’s most technologically advanced cutters, built to act as command and control centers for complex national security, defense and law enforcement missions. The NSCs displace 4,500 tons with a full load, have a range of 12,000 miles and can endure 60- to 90- day patrol cycles. They are replacing the 1960s-era 378-foot high-endurance cutters.
Six NSCs are currently in service. Coast Guard cutters Bertholf, Waesche, Stratton and Munro are stationed in Alameda, California, and Coast Guard cutters Hamilton and James are stationed in Charleston, South Carolina. The seventh NSC, Kimball, is scheduled for delivery later this year and will be based in Honolulu.
For more information: National Security Cutter Program page