Eastern Shipbuilding Group laid and authenticated the keel of a new offshore patrol cutter (OPC) for the US Coast Guard at its facilities in Panama City, Florida, on Monday, May 24.
The future USCGC Chase will be the second Heritage-class OPC to be built by Eastern Shipbuilding for the coast guard. Its scheduled completion is in 2023.
Once completed, the vessel will measure 360 by 53 feet (110 by 16 metres) and will be powered by two MAN diesel engines that will deliver a speed of 24.5 knots.
The future Chase will be homeported San Pedro near Los Angeles, California, along with the first Heritage-class cutter, the future USCGC Argus.
