The US Coast Guard commissioned three new Sentinel-class fast response cutters (FRCs) into service in a ceremony in Guam on Thursday, July 29.
Sister vessels Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry, and Frederick Hatch will be homeported in Guam as part of Coast Guard Forces Micronesia. The FRCs will replace the 30-year-old Island-class patrol boats that were formerly homeported in Guam.
Built by Bollinger Shipyards, the FRCs each measure 154 feet (46.9 metres) long and can reach speeds of over 28 knots and a range of 2,500 nautical miles. Armament on each cutter includes a 25-millimetre cannon and four 12.7-millimetre machine guns.