The following is the text of a news release from Bollinger Shipyards:
(LOCKPORT, La.) — Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC John McCormick, the 21st fast response cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and 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 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 7th Coast Guard District in Florida or San Juan, Puerto Rico, and two have been stationed in the 5th Coast Guard District in Cape May, N.J. 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, the latest 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 Dec. 13 in Key West, Fla., and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Ketchikan, Alaska in April.
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 Nov. 7, 1938 for his heroic action in the rescue of surfman Richard O. Bracken in treacherous conditions in the outer breaks on Clatsop Spit, near the mouth of the Columbia River.