USCG’s fourth Legend-class cutter christened

The US Coast Guard’s (USCG) fourth Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC), has been christened as Hamilton (WMSL 753) during a ceremony held at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division.

The ship has been named to honour Alexander Hamilton, who is certified with establishing the Revenue Cutter Service.

US Representative Steven Palazzo said the Legend-class ships will be used for conducting missions such as drug interdiction, counterterrorism or Homeland Security missions.

"Simply put, these ships are essential in maintaining the safety and security of our nation, and most of all, these ships are responsible for returning the men and women of the Coast Guard safely to their families, a mission that none of us take lightly," Palazzo added.

Designed to replace the 378ft-long Hamilton-class high-endurance cutters which entered service during the 1960s, the Legend-class cutters are equipped with an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid hull inflatable boats and a flight deck to accommodate a range of manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft.

Featuring robust capabilities, the cutters can support missions including maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defence mission while enhancing the USCG’s operational readiness, capacity and effectiveness.
The company has already delivered three ships of the class to the USCG.

The fifth and sixth NSCs, James (WMSL 754) and Munro (WMSL 755) are scheduled to be launched in spring of 2014 and in fall of 2015 respectively.

Additionally, an advance long lead material procurement contract has been awarded by the USCG for a seventh NSC.