Bollinger Shipyards delivers 29th FRC to US Coast Guard

Bollinger Shipyards, of Lockport, Los Angeles, has delivered 29th fast response cutter (FRC), Forrest Rednour, to the US Coast Guard.

The 154′ Sentinel-class cutter, which was delivered in Key West, Florida, will station in San Pedro, California. To be commissioned in November, it will be the first of the four FRCs to be stationed in California.

Considered to be an operational game changer by the US Coast Guard, this cutter has a flank speed of 28 knots and a stern launch system.

It is named after the officer 2nd Class Forrest Rednour, who risked his life while saving the lives of survivors from the torpedoed SS Dorchester in North Atlantic in February 1943.

Rednour was on board when Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba disappeared in June 1943. His remains were never found. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Purple Heart.

The 154 ft. FRCs replace the 1980s-era 110-foot Island-class patrol boats. They patrol coastal regions and feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment.

They also execute critical missions including defense readiness; law enforcement; search and rescue; and ports, waterways, and coastal security.

Bollinger president & CEO Ben Bordelon said: “We are proud to announce the delivery of the latest FRC, the USCGC Forrest Rednour. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for November, 2018 in southern California. This will be the first of four FRC’s to be stationed in San Pedro, CA.

“Previous cutters have been stationed around the nation including Alaska and Hawaii. FRCs already in commission have protected our country by seizing tons of narcotics, interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and saved hundreds of lives.

“The FRC program is a model program for government acquisition and has surpassed all historical quality benchmarks for vessels of this type and complexity. The results are the delivery of truly extraordinary Coast Guard cutters that will serve our Nation for decades to come. We are extremely proud that the Fast Response Cutters built by Louisiana craftsmen here at Bollinger Shipyards are having such a major impact on our country’s safety and security.”

The FRC cutters have an endurance of five days.

The Coast Guard has ordered 44 FRCs, out of which, 27 are in service: 12 in Florida; six in Puerto Rico; two each in Alaska, New Jersey, Mississippi and Hawaii; and 1 in North Carolina.