USCG receives Benjamin Bottoms
The US Coast Guard (USCG) received its 32nd Fast Response Cutter (FRC), Benjamin Bottoms, in Key West, Florida, on 8 January.
Benjamin Bottoms will be the fourth FRC stationed in San Pedro, California, and is scheduled to be commissioned in May.
The 154ft Sentinel-class FRCs feature advanced C4ISR equipment to perform a wide range of missions including SAR; national defence; ports, waterways and coastal security; drug and migrant interdiction; and fisheries patrols.
The cutters have improved habitability and seakeeping and over-the-horizon cutter boat launch and recovery capabilities. The vessels can reach a maximum speed of 28kt and have an endurance of at least five days.
To date, the USCG has ordered 50 FRCs of which 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.
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