USCGC Olivia Hooker to be homeported in Pascagoula, Miss.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — (January 22, 2026) – Bollinger Shipyards LLC (“Bollinger”) joined senior U.S. Coast Guard officials in Pascagoula, Mississippi, today for the commissioning ceremony of USCGC Olivia Hooker. RADM Will Watson presided and Lt. Colby Coco, Commanding Officer of Olivia Hooker and L.t.j.g Finnegan Hall, Executive Officer of Olivia Hooker accepted the vessel into Gulf waters. The cutter will be homeported in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
“The commissioning of USCGC Olivia Hooker marks a proud milestone in our tenured partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “For decades, Bollinger has been committed to supporting America’s shipbuilding needs, delivering vessels that meet the highest standards of excellence and reliability. Together with the Coast Guard, we remain dedicated to strengthening our nation’s maritime security and sustaining the vital workforce that drives innovation and growth in the American shipbuilding industry.”
In September 2025 the U.S. Coast Guard awarded Bollinger 10 additional FRCs. The award was supported by the historic $25 billion funding included in President Trump’s recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which provided $1 billion for additional FRCs and strengthened the Coast Guard in support of its Force Design 2028 initiative.
“Our workforce’s dedication and expertise have been instrumental in consistently delivering these vessels on time and within budget,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “We take pride in meeting the Coast Guard’s operational needs while upholding the highest standards of quality and reliability.”
Bollinger Shipyards took delivery of USCGC Olivia Hooker at Coast Guard Sector Key West in October 2025. To date, Bollinger has delivered 61 FRCs and had been under contract to build 67 vessels, with the final FRC previously scheduled for delivery in 2028. With the most recent award, the total program has increased to 77 vessels, extending the production line by approximately three years and ensuring uninterrupted deliveries to meet operational demand.
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Dr. Olivia Juliette Hooker (1915–2018), who made history as the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard, enlisting in 1945 as a member of the SPARs during World War II. Dr. Hooker answered the call to serve, completing boot camp and yeoman training before processing discharges for returning Coast Guardsmen. After the war, Dr. Hooker earned advanced degrees in psychology, becoming a respected professor at Fordham University and a lifelong advocate for education, mental health, and civil rights. Her trailblazing service exemplified the Coast Guard’s core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty, and her legacy endures as the namesake of USCGC Olivia Hooker.
About the Fast Response Cutter Platform
The FRC is an operational “game changer,” according to senior Coast Guard officials. FRCs are consistently being deployed in support of the full range of missions within the United States Coast Guard and other branches of our armed services. This is due to its exceptional performance, expanded operational reach and capabilities, and ability to transform and adapt to the mission. FRCs have conducted operations as far as the Marshall Islands—a 4,400 nautical mile trip from their homeport. Measuring in at 154-feet, FRCs have a flank speed of 28 knots, state-of-the-art C4ISR suite (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), and stern-launch-and-recovery ramp for a 26-foot, over-the-horizon interceptor cutter boat.
ABOUT BOLLINGER SHIPYARDS
Bollinger Shipyards (www.bollingershipyards.com) has a 80-year legacy as a leading designer and builder of high-performance military patrol boats and salvage vessels, research vessels, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil field support vessels, tugboats, rigs, lift boats, inland waterways push boats, barges, and other steel and aluminum products from its new construction shipyards as part of the U. S. industrial base. Bollinger has 13 facilities, all strategically located throughout Louisiana and Mississippi with direct access to the Gulf of America, the Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of America region.