US Coast Guard takes delivery of fast response cutter John Witherspoon

The US Coast Guard has taken delivery of the future USCGC John Witherspoon, a new Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC) built by Bollinger Shipyards of Louisiana.

The cutter will be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska. This vessel is the fourth FRC to join the fleet in Alaskan waters, reinforcing maritime security and bolstering the coast guard’s ability to respond swiftly to emerging threats and protect vital infrastructure.

As with its earlier sisters, the future John Witherspoon has a length of 154 feet (46.9 metres), a flank speed of 28 knots, a state of the art C4ISR suite, and a stern launch and recovery ramp for a 26-foot (7.92-metre), over-the-horizon interceptor cutter boat. Armament includes a 25mm autocannon and four 12.7mm machine guns.

The Sentinel-class cutters are designed for multiple missions including drug and migrant interdiction, ports, waterways and coastal security, fishery patrols, and search and rescue (SAR).

The three other FRCs based in Alaska under the 17th Coast Guard District are USCGC Douglas Denman, USCGC Bailey Barco, and USCGC John McCormick.