The following is text of a news release from Bollinger Shipyards:
(LOCKPORT, La.) — Bollinger Shipyards has delivered USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal, the 28th fast response cutter (FRC), to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on March 29 in Key West, Fla. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for July in Washington, D.C.
The 154-foot patrol craft is the 28th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program.The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer” by senior Coast Guard officials. 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.
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 Nathan Bruckenthal. In April 2004 while serving aboard USS Firebolt, Bruckenthal was killed in the line of duty while conducting maritime intercept operations in the North Arabian Gulf. For heroic achievement in connection with combat operations against the enemy, Bruckenthal was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V. Petty Officer 3rd Class Bruckenthal was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
