USCG takes delivery of third National Security Cutter

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HII) reports that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has delivered the third National Security Cutter to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A shipboard ceremony on September 2 officially transferred ownership of Stratton (WMSL 752) from Ingalls to the Coast Guard.

According to the Coast Guard, the in “In-Commission Special” ceremony Friday marked the moment when the crew of Stratton formally took possession of the cutter.  The Coast Guard says this  “preliminary acceptance and delivery is a major milestone in Stratton’s transition to full operational status in the Coast Guard’s fleet.”

“The crew has been training for months in anticipation of the day we are finally able to take Stratton from the skilled and dedicated craftsmen who have built her,”  said Capt. Charles Cashin, Stratton’s prospective commanding officer.  “We are ready to see the ship in action , come together as a crew and take our place in the fleet doing the jobs that only a Coast Guard cutter can do, whenever and wherever needed.”

“Today we deliver another great ship to our nation’s Coast Guard and celebrate the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the designers and builders who make it happen,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Irwin F. Edenzon. “We have reduced the production schedule, man-hours and sea trial cards on NSC 3. We are proud of these accomplishments because they are a cornerstone in the relationship Ingalls has formed with the Coast Guard—a relationship that has allowed us to achieve stability in the class plan for building NSCs, which allows us to continue to improve the building process for these great ships.”

Ingalls has now delivered three NSCs, which are the flagship of the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet, designed to replace the 378‐foot Hamilton-class High-Endurance Cutters, which entered service during the 1960s.

“This ship has come along further than her predecessors,” said Rear Admiral John Korn, the Coast Guard’s assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer. “All three NSCs are great ships but this one has made several improvements in critical learning from Bertholf and Waesche. Thanks to Ingalls, Lockheed Martin and all the other contractors. We look forward to continuing our work together to build the most capable and technologically advanced cutters that the Coast Guard has ever seen. And it will be capable of everything we can imagine in a 21st century mission.”

Ingalls builds the NSC hull and mechanical and electrical systems, while Lockheed Martin builds and integrates the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities onboard the cutters.

“I would like to offer my particular appreciation to the hundreds of dedicated skilled tradesmen and women who put their skill, commitment and personal pride in transforming plate and component into the cutter we have here today,” said Capt.  Cashin.

The NSCs are 418 feet long, with a 54-foot beam, displacing 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 110.

The Legend-class NSC is capable of meeting all maritime security mission needs required of the High Endurance Cutter. The cutter includes an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid hull inflatable boats and a flight deck to accommodate a range of manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft. It is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in the U.S. Coast Guard, with robust capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions. This class of cutters plays an important role enhancing the Coast Guard’s operational readiness, capacity and effectiveness at a time when the demand for their services has never been greater.

September 6, 2011