Construction begins on USCG’s Kimball national security cutter

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding unit has kicked off construction on the US Coast Guard’s seventh Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC), Kimball (WMSL 756), following the commissioning of Hamilton (WMSL 753) last month.

Ingalls’ NSC programme manager Jim French said: "We continue to increase our learning on this shipbuilding programme, fully capturing the affordable benefits of serial production.

"While the official start fab requires 100t of steel to be cut for this ship, our shipbuilders have actually cut more than 474t so far on NSC 7.

"This paves the way for a successful three-year build on this ship."

Aimed at replacing the USCG’s ageing 378ft Hamilton-class High-Endurance Cutters commissioned during the 1960, the new 418ft-long and 54ft-wide NSCs can cruise at a speed of 28k while offering 12,000 miles range and an endurance of 60 days.

The new vessel can accommodate 110 crew members, while offering space for an aft launch and recovery room for two rigid hull inflatable boats in addition to a flight deck for a range of manned and unmanned rotary-wing aircraft.

The Legend-class vessel can be deployed for maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defence missions.

Ingalls has already delivered four NCSs and is building three more vessels, with advance procurement funding already secured for the eighth vessel.

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Image: Work begins on construction of National Security Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756). Photo: courtesy of Andrew Young/HII.