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Coast Guard orders new cutter

A $480 million contract for a new National Security Cutter (NSC) for the Coast Guard was awarded Nov. 29 to Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding — welcome news for a shipyard in need of new work.

The new ship, which will become the USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753), is the fourth NSC. The new ships are needed to replace a 40-year-old class of cutters that has become harder to keep in service.

Northrop’s Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., already has delivered two NSCs and is working on the Stratton, now 65 percent complete and scheduled to be delivered in the back half of 2011.

The new contract also includes options for long-lead material for NSCs 5 and 6, and an option to build and deliver the fifth NSC.

The new ships are an enormous leap in capability for the Coast Guard, having many new features to carry out a variety of maritime security missions. Among the improvements are an advanced communications and surveillance suite, and the ability to operate multiple rotary-wing aircraft and small boats. The 4,400-ton, 418-foot-long ships can cut the waves at 28 knots, have a range of 12,000 nautical miles, and can carry enough supplies to keep its 110-person crew at sea for two months.

The Ingalls shipyard is one of the most complex naval shipbuilding yards in the world and, in addition to building the NSCs for the Coast Guard, builds several types of ships for the U.S. Navy, including 40,000-ton amphibious assault ships, 25,000-ton amphibious transport docks and 9,300-ton destroyers.

Northrop, which is in the process of divesting all of its shipbuilding operations, has been in negotiation this year with the Navy for several additional ship contracts, but none have been awarded.