Video of sea trials of first Fast Response Cutter released

Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, LA, recently released video of the sea trials of the USCGC Bernard C. Webber, the first of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters.

What’s particularly interesting about the video, shot off of Grand Isle, Louisiana, is that it shows the deployment of the vessel’s RHIB. You can see the video here:
http://www.bollingershipyards.com/PageDisplay.asp?p1=7070

The Sentinel Class Fast Respponse Cutter (FRC) design is based on the Damen Stan Patrol 4708 patrol boat, and the project expertise from the Coast Guard’s highly successful 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat project, also built by Bollinger. The Sentinel Class will be used for port, waterways and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national-defense operations.

The Bernard C. Webber will be homeported in Miami, FL.

Back in September 2011, the Coast Guard awarded a $179.7 million contract option to Bollinger Shipyards for the production of four more Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), increasing the total number of FRCs contracted to Bollinger to 12. The current FRC contract contains options for up to 34 cutters and is worth up to $1.5 billion if all options are exercised. The FRCs acquired under this contract option are scheduled to be delivered to the Coast Guard in 2014 and homeported in Key West, FL.

January 1, 2012