Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has cut the first steel to be used for the hull of the future US Coast Guard cutter Friedman.
The Legend-class national security cutter will honour Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a code breaker who became renowned for her work in deciphering Nazi German espionage communications during World War II.
The future Friedman will have a length of 418 feet (127 metres), a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles (19,300 kilometres), an endurance of 60 days, and a crew of 120.