The United States Coast Guard has just commissioned two new cutters in Alaska in as many days.
On Sunday it welcomed its first new icebreaker in 25 years, USCGC Storis, at a ceremony at her new home base in Juneau, Alaska. And the following day it commissioned the service’s newest Fast Response Cutter (FRC), USCGC Earl Cunningham in Kodiak.
USCGC Storis is a repurposed ship bought for $125 million in December last year from Edison Chouest Offshore. She was originally used for offshore oil exploration in Alaska by petrochemical giant Shell.
She will play a key role in enhancing America’s operational capabilities in the Arctic while the Coast Guard waits on its Polar Security Cutter-class vessels to be delivered.
Mississippi’s Bollinger Shipbuilding is constructing the first new heavy icebreaker in 50 years. The vessel is scheduled to be completed in 2030.
USCGC Earl Cunningham is its 59th Sentinel-class FRC. She is nearly 47m long, has a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of 2,500 nautical miles. She has a crew of 24 and is armed with a Mk 38 25mm machine gun system using the M242 Bushmaster chain gun, and four Browning M2 machine guns.
The commissioning ceremony for the FRC was presided over by acting Coast Guard commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday.
He commented: “Commissioning the USCGC Earl Cunningham strengthens our ability to control, secure, and defend Alaska’s U.S. border and maritime approaches, protect resources vital to our economic prosperity, and respond to crises throughout the Aleutian Islands.”
- You can read more about both vessels on the U.S. Coast Guard website