Nov. 9, 2018 —
Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour’s crew mans the rail during the ship’s commissioning ceremony in San Pedro, California, Nov. 8, 2018. The ship is the first Sentinel-class fast response cutter stationed in San Pedro. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Kelley.
The Coast Guard commissioned the 29th fast response cutter (FRC), Forrest Rednour, in San Pedro, California, Nov. 8. The cutter is the first of four planned FRCs to be stationed in San Pedro.
The namesake of the cutter, Petty Officer 2nd Class Forrest Rednour, heroically risked his life while rescuing survivors from the torpedoed SS Dorchester; he was one of three rescuers who went into the icy water on February 3, 1943, and saved 133 personnel. Rednour was serving on Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba in June 1943 when it was tragically lost at sea after an explosion; his remains were never found. He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Purple Heart.
The 154-foot FRCs are designed to patrol coastal regions and are replacing the 1980s-era 110-foot Island-class patrol boats. They feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; the ability to launch and recover cutter boats from astern or via side davits; and improved seakeeping and habitability. They have an endurance of at least five days and reach a maximum speed of over 28 knots.
The Coast Guard has ordered 50 FRCs to date, and 29 are in service: 12 in Florida, six in Puerto Rico, one in California and two each in Alaska, New Jersey, Mississippi, Hawaii and North Carolina. Future FRC homeports include Galveston, Texas; Santa Rita, Guam; Astoria, Oregon; and Kodiak, Seward, and Sitka, Alaska.
For more information: Fast Response Cutter Program page