Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La., has delivered the 29th fast response cutter, Forrest Rednour, to the Coast Guard. The 154' Sentinel-class FRC was delivered on June 7 in Key West, Fla.
The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer” by senior Coast Guard officials, Bollinger said in a statement announcing the delivery. To build the FRC, Bollinger used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26' cutter boat.
“We are proud to announce the delivery of the latest FRC, the Forrest Rednour,” Ben Bordelon, Bollinger's president and CEO, said in the prepared statement.
The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for November 2018 in southern California. This will be the first of four FRCs to be stationed in San Pedro, Calif.
Bordelon said that the FRC program is a model program for government acquisition and has surpassed all historical quality benchmarks for vessels of this type and complexity. “The results are the delivery of truly extraordinary Coast Guard cutters that will serve our nation for decades to come,” he said.
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This FRC is named after Coast Guard Hero Forrest Rednour. Rednour was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal during World War II for heroic conduct while aboard the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba during the rescue of survivors from the torpedoed USAT Dorchester in North Atlantic waters in February 1943.
Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and CEO, accepting award from Davis Gaddy, SCA government relations coordinator (left) and Matthew Paxton, SCA president. Bollinger Shipyards photo
In other Bollinger news, during the recent Shipbuilding Council of America’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the shipyard was presented with an “Award for Excellence in Safety” for the 13th consecutive year. SCA is the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry.
“Bollinger Shipyards is very pleased to have earned the SCA Award for Excellence in Safety for the 13th consecutive year,” Bordelon said. “This recognition of exceptional safety performance is realized from a commitment at the highest level and the continued focus of Bollinger employees on workplace safety. Bollinger remains steadfast in establishing a culture of positive and focused work habits.”
SCA members constitute the shipyard industrial base that builds, repairs, maintains and modernizes U.S. Navy ships and craft, U.S. Coast Guard vessels of all sizes, as well as vessels for other U.S. government agencies. In addition, SCA members build, repair and service America's fleet of commercial vessels.
