US Coast Guard places order for 15 response boats-small IIs

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has placed an order with Metal Shark Aluminum Boats of Jeanerette, Louisiana, for delivery of 15 response boats-small II (RB-S IIs) and associated equipment.

With the new $6m delivery order, the USCG has ordered a total number of 279 RB-S IIs to date, of which 250 vessels have been delivered so far.

The RB-S IIs will gradually replace the 25ft-long Defender-class RB-S vessels as they near the end of their planned 10-year service lives. The USCG currently operates more than 400 Defender-class RB-Ss.

The new 29ft-long RB-S II vessel can travel at a top speed of more than 40k and is upgraded with several features that help reduce crew fatigue and enhance visibility.

Metal Shark Aluminum Boats’ easily-deployable RB-S II is specifically designed to operate in shallow waters along coastal borders all year round.

Serving as a high-speed platform, the boats are deployed close to shore to carry out a wide range of missions, such as search and rescue, law enforcement, port security, environmental response and drug and migrant interdiction.

On 26 September 2011, the USCG placed a delivery order with the company for the development of 38 RB-S IIs.

This $13m deal allows for the procurement of up to 500 boats, of which 470 vessels will be delivered to shore units throughout the USCG, up to 20 units might be delivered to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and up to ten to the US Navy.

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Image: US Coast Guard Station Philadelphia crewmembers conduct underway training on a 29ft response boat-small II on the Delaware River. Photo: courtesy of US Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Nick Ameen.