By Karen Robes Meeks
The US Coast Guard on Thursday commissioned its newest Hawaii-based 154-foot Fast Response Cutter, the third FRC to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Honolulu.
The Coast Guard Cutter William Hart (WPC 1134) was built by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana and arrived Aug. 17 in Honolulu.
The cutter will assist in covering the 14th Coast Guard District, which includes more than 14 million square miles of land and sea, with units in Hawaii, American Samoa, Saipan, Guam, Singapore, and Japan.
“There is no greater reflection of the commandant’s strategic vision and commitment than the fact that as we commission the William Hart today, it will be the fifth Coast Guard cutter commissioned in the last two years here at Base Honolulu that will operate in the heart of Oceania,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, commander Coast Guard 14th District. “There is no question that by our actions and not our words alone, the Coast Guard is here and committed along with the rest of the United States in the Pacific.”
The William Hart is part of a greater effort by the Coast Guard to modernize its fleet to meet a more complex global Maritime Transportation System.
“This is a remarkable ship with increased seakeeping, endurance, range, combat capability, telecommunications, everything about this is a game-changer for the Coast Guard,” said Lunday.
