Over the summer, the U.S. Coast Guard received
its latest Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC), the Coast Guard Cutter
Oliver Henry (WPC-1140), from Bollinger Shipyards.
The 154-foot cutter, which is in Florida for
pre-commissioning trials and maintenance, is set to arrive in Santa Rita, Guam,
later this year, the agency said..
“The fast response cutters are a real game
changer here in the Pacific for the Coast Guard,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jessica
Conway, the Coast Guard 14th District’s patrol boat manager. “Already the FRCs
stationed here in Hawaii are conducting longer missions over greater distances
than the older patrol boats they are replacing.”
Named after the first African American Coast
Guardsman who paved the way for minorities within the agency, Cutter Oliver
Henry will become the second of a trio of fast response cutters based in Gaum.
All will be able to conduct search and rescue, marine protection enforcement
and other missions.
“Here in the Pacific one of our greatest
challenges is distance,” said Conway. “With the FRCs boasting a larger crew
size and greater endurance, they are able to complete missions both close to
shore and over the horizon, aiding both the people of Guam and our partners in
the region.”
