The US Coast Guard has concluded 20-month service life extension work for the fifth Famous-class cutter.
The overhaul of the USCGC Spencer (WMEC-905) was facilitated under the In-Service Vessel Sustainment program, which addresses the obsolescence of the force’s surface platforms based on class-by-class evaluations.
Similar to other coast guard ships under the effort, the 39-year-old Spencer received enhancements to its “readiness, reliability, and maintenance costs” required to meet the service’s “continue meeting mission demands.”
It covered the upgrades and replacements of electrical power generation and distribution systems, armament, and main diesel propulsion engines.
“These cutters have been essential for Coast Guard operations for over four decades, conducting missions from drug interdiction and fisheries enforcement to search and rescue,” In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program Manager Kenneth King stated.
“Investing in their sustainment is critical to ensuring these cutters remain operationally relevant and capable of executing the service’s most demanding missions until the next generation are fully deployed.”
More Refitted Boats by 2030s
The US Coast Guard noted that the Spencer is the first of six Famous-class patrol boats to receive the life extension work under the coast guard’s fleet-wide program.
Works for the remaining vessels, the Escanaba (WMEC-907), Tahoma (WMEC-908) Campbell (WMEC-909), Forward (WMEC-911), and Legare (WMEC-912), are expected to be completed by the 2030s.
Meanwhile, the Harriet Lane (WMEC-903) and Seneca (WMEC-906) previously served as prototypes for the electrical and structural design but did not receive new engines.
The Harriet Lane also served as a testbed for the MK38 gun weapon system that will be integrated into the revamped vessels.
The Famous-Class Patrol Vessel
The 270-foot (82-meter) Famous-class platform can accommodate up to 100 personnel and carry a medium-sized maritime helicopter similar to the HH-65 Dolphin or HH-60J Jayhawk.
It is powered by twin Alco V18 engines, twin Caterpillar V12 diesel generators, and twin controllable pitch propellers for more than six weeks of straight deployment in the Atlantic or Pacific.
The boat can sail up to 20 knots (23 miles/37 kilometers per hour) and has a range of 9,900 nautical miles (18,335 kilometers/11,393 miles).
