Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC JOHN MCCORMICK, the 21st Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard, the shipbuilding company said on Tuesday.
Ben Bordelon, Bollinger President & CEO. said, "We are excited to announce the delivery of the latest FRC to the U.S. Coast Guard, the USCGC JOHN MCCORMICK. This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be stationed in the 17th Coast Guard District in Ketchikan, Alaska and will assist in defending our Nation’s interests in the Alaskan maritime region. We are very proud that the FRCs already in commission have seized multiple tons of narcotics, interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and saved many lives. We are also very proud of the fact that our FRC program has surpassed all historical quality benchmarks resulting in truly exceptional vessels that will serve our Nation for many years to come.”
The 154 foot patrol craft USCGC JOHN MCCORMICK is the 21st vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program, and the first FRC to be stationed at Ketchikan, Alaska. The FRC has been described as an operational "game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials. Previous cutters have been stationed in the 7thCoast Guard District in Florida or San Juan, PR, and two have been stationed in the 5th Coast Guard District in Cape May, NJ. To build the FRC, Bollinger used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26 foot cutter boat.
The Coast Guard took delivery on the 13th of December, 2016 in Key West, Florida and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Ketchikan, Alaska in April, 2017.
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard Hero John McCormick, who was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal on November 7, 1938 for his heroic action in affecting the rescue of Surfman Richard O. Bracken in treacherous conditions in the outer breaks on Clatsop Spit, near the mouth of the Columbia River.
Bollinger Shipyards LLC (www.bollingershipyards.com) is a leading designer and builder of fast military patrol boats, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil field support vessels, tug boats, rigs, liftboats, inland waterways push boats, barges, and other steel and aluminum products from its new construction shipyards. Bollinger has 10 shipyards and all are strategically located throughout Louisiana with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of Mexico region.