Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the US Coast Guard’s 53rd fast response cutter, the USCGC John Patterson, in Key West, Florida.
The handover is part of a 35-year program to supply more than 60 units of 154-foot (47-meter) vessels for the service.
Each ship has a maximum speed of over 28 knots (52 kilometers/32 miles per hour) and can carry up to 24 personnel.
The cutters are armed with crew-served .50-caliber machine guns and a stabilized 25-millimeter machine gun mount.
‘Unmatched’ Cutter to Boston
The USCGC Patterson is the fourth of six cutter units that will be homeported in Sector Boston, also known as “The Birthplace of the Coast Guard.”
The sector leads security, safety, and environmental protection of the coast spanning from the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border to the town of Plymouth.
The sector is operated by active duty, reserve, and auxiliary personnel.
The team also manages coastal infrastructure security, rescue, federal law enforcement, waterway maintenance, and response to hazards associated with maritime transportation systems.
“We’re incredibly proud to deliver another Fast Response Cutter to be homeported in Boston,” Bollinger CEO and President Ben Bordelon stated.
“We’re confident that pound for pound, the quality and capabilities of the FRC platform is unmatched, and that this vessel will outperform its mission requirements and expectations in the challenging conditions where it will operate in the North Atlantic.”
“We look forward to continuing our historic partnership with the US Coast Guard.”
The USCGC John Patterson
The Patterson’s namesake was inspired by a coast guard personnel attached to a landing ship tank (LST) during an attack on Anzio, Italy, in World War II.
“During a full gale Patterson volunteered as a member of a boat crew to go the side of a burning LST in an effort to rescue personnel trapped below decks,” a record from US Coast Guard Historian’s Office said.
“Despite the fact the blazing ship was pitching and rolling in dangerous manner and ammunition was exploding he aided in the rescue of a soldier, trapped in a lower compartment and brought him to safety.”