Yesterday, March 29th, 2005, the keel was laid on America’s latest Coast Guard Cutter. Here’s some info…
(PASCAGOULA, Miss.) March 29 — “It’s the latest weapon in the nation’s homeland security arsenal and its being built close to home. It’s an ultra-sophisticated “high-tech national security cutter” for the Coast Guard. The new National Security Cutter will be the backbone of the Coast Guard’s new fleet. The budget right now calls for 8 such cutters supported by several dozen new pursuit and patrol vessels. The Coast Guard says the new vessel will eventually be named… they don’t yet know what or when. Until then it just carries the designation – WMSL 750. The new cutter should be finished and ready for sea trials during the first half of 2007.”
That said, The Bull did a wee bit of digging and found the following on this new CG beastie being built just down the road…
“September 9, 2004 marked the beginning of construction of the first new Deepwater cutter, the Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL). The
Deepwater Program reached another milestone in its journey to provide the men and women of the Coast Guard the necessary capabilities to attend to the maritime homeland security needs of this great nation. The start-fabrication ceremony for the lead ship, WMSL-750, was held at the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems
(NGSS) Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss. held two days before the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our nation.”
Calling the WMSL a “magnificent vessel�? that will carry
out the Coast Guard’s national security missions, Stillman said, “…her line speaks to her capabilities and to her purpose and her color and stripe speak to the aspirations and the legacy
to which she will contribute.�?
Designed from the keel up to satisfy the Coast Guard’s multimission responsibilities including
homeland security, marine safety, and environmental protection, the production effort of the WMSL will be lead by NGSS. Lockheed Martin will be responsible for the design, manufacture, and integration of the cutter’s systems for C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance).
The design of the WMSL will provide better sea keeping and higher sustained transit speeds, greater endurance and range, and the ability for launch and recovery,
in higher sea states, of improved small boats, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Stats are as follows:
Deepwater Asset: Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL)
- Length: 421 FT
- Displacement: 4,112 LT
- Max Speed: 28 KTS
- Endurance: 60 Days
- Range: 12,000 NM
- Propulsion: CODAG (Combined Diesel and Gas), 1 Gas Turbine, 2 Diesels /Bow Thruster
- Armorment: Mk 110 Gun Weapon System (the Mk 110 Mod 0/57 mm Gun, Mk 46 Mod 1 Optical Sighting System, AN/SPQ-9B Radar, and the Mk 160 Gun Control System ballistic computer), plus other undisclosed systems.
Overall she sounds like a sweet little lady. I will try to get over to Pascagoula when she is launched. That event is expected in the first half of 2007, but my guess is that she will be rushed through to an early completion prior to Yule 2006.
Omar, out.
