Sept. 5, 2017 —
The Coast Guard accepted delivery of the 25th fast response cutter (FRC), Jacob Poroo, in Key West, Florida, today.
The cutter will be the second FRC stationed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and will be commissioned this fall.
The cutter’s namesake, Petty Officer 1st Class Jacob Poroo, suffered fatal injuries when he entered a burning building to attempt a rescue June 2, 1968. At the time of his death, Poroo was serving as a hospital corpsman on Coast Guard Cutter Balsam, based in Adak, Alaska. The cabin in which he was staying caught fire; he and seven other men escaped. Poroo heard shouting and ran back into the cabin to ensure that everyone had evacuated. Despite receiving second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of his body, he then calmly gave sound medical advice to his companions until help arrived. He died later that day. Poroo received the Coast Guard Medal for his courage and altruism.
The FRCs are replacing the 1980s-era 110-foot patrol boats and are designed for multiple missions, including drug and migrant interdiction; ports, waterways and coastal security; search and rescue; and defense readiness. The cutters are 154 feet long, with a beam of 25 feet, endurance for five days and a top speed of more than 28 knots. They feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; improved habitability and seakeeping; and over-the-horizon cutter boat launch and recovery from astern or via side davits.
The Coast Guard has ordered 44 of the 58 FRCs planned. Twenty-three are in service: one in Pascagoula, Mississippi; two in Ketchikan, Alaska; two in Cape May, New Jersey; six in Miami; six in Key West, Florida; and six in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The FRC is complemented operationally by the offshore patrol cutter’s extended range and endurance, and the national security cutter's offshore capabilities.
For more information: Fast Response Cutter Program page