Feb. 7, 2020 —
The Coast Guard accepted delivery of the 37th fast response cutter (FRC), Edgar Culbertson, in Key West, Florida, Feb. 6.
It will be the second of three FRCs stationed in Galveston, Texas.
Petty Officer 1st class Edgar Culbertson, the cutter’s namesake, lost his life in an effort to save three drowning teenage brothers in Duluth, Minnesota, in April 1967. Culbertson and two other Coast Guard members attempted to tether themselves with rope in an effort to rescue the brothers. For their bravery and heroism, the three service members were awarded the Coast Guard medal.
FRCs are designed for multiple missions which include drug and migrant interdiction; ports, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. They feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment to reach vessels of interest; and improved habitability and seakeeping. The ships have a maximum speed of 28 knots, range of 2,500 nautical miles and endurance of at least a five-day deployment.
Thirty-six are in service: 12 in Florida; seven in Puerto Rico; four in California; three in Hawaii and New Jersey; two in Alaska, Mississippi and North Carolina; and one in Texas. The Coast Guard has ordered 56 of the cutters to date. Future FRC homeports include Santa Rita, Guam; Astoria, Oregon; and Kodiak, Seward and Sitka, Alaska.
For more information: Fast Response Cutter Program page