USCGC John Patterson is the fourth of 6 FRCs to be homeported in Boston, MA
LOCKPORT, La., — (May 11, 2023) – Bollinger Shipyards LLC (“Bollinger”) has delivered the USCGC John Patterson to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. This is the 179th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 53rd Fast Response Cutter (“FRC”) delivered under the current program.
“We’re incredibly proud to deliver another Fast Response Cutter to be homeported in Boston, the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Bollinger President & C.E.O. Ben Bordelon. “We’re confident that pound for pound, the quality and capabilities of the FRC platform is unmatched, and that this vessel will outperform its mission requirements and expectations in the challenging conditions where it will operate in the North Atlantic. Our unique experience building for the Coast Guard is unparalleled and has shown time and time again that we can successfully deliver the highest quality vessels on a reliable, aggressive production schedule. We look forward to continuing our historic partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard.”
The USCGC John Patterson will be the fourth of six FRCs to be homeported in Sector Boston, which is known as “The Birthplace of the Coast Guard.” The sector is responsible for coastal safety, security, and environmental protection from the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border southward to Plymouth, Massachusetts out to 200nm offshore. Sector Boston directs over 1,500 Active Duty, Reserve, and Auxiliary members whose mission is to protect and secure vital infrastructure, rescue mariners in peril at sea, enforce federal law, maintain navigable waterways, and respond to all hazards impacting the maritime transportation system and coastal region.
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. On July 27, 1885, the stout-hearted life-savers of the Shark River (NJ) Life-Saving Station (Fourth District) made a heroic rescue under the intrepid leadership of Keeper John C. Patterson, for which he received a Congressional Gold Lifesaving medal for his heroism. Anchored off the coast of New Jersey in a Gale, the cat-rigged yacht Foam, began to take on water. While patrolling the beach, Keeper Paterson saw the distressed boat and mustered a volunteer crew of surfmen working as lifeguards for the summer at the Ocean Grove and Asbury Park beaches. Patterson then used a team of horses procured from a stagecoach to haul the necessary rescue equipment to a point on the shore opposite the yacht. After three unsuccessful attempts to fire a shotline to the yacht, Patterson decided to deploy the station’s surfboat. However, heavy winds and severe currents prevented them from getting to the yacht. Patterson and his crew returned to shore and waited for the seas to subside. While waiting, Patterson received word that his brother was dying and wanted to see John before he expired. But, shortly thereafter, the heavy surf and high winds eased and Patterson and his crew had to return to the struggle preventing Patterson from seeing his dying brother. Patterson and the men re-launched the surfboat and got close enough to the yacht for the survivors to leap into the water and get pulled into the surfboat. Patterson’s surfboat, with the survivors safely on board, landed on the beach after an hour of rowing through heavy seas and breaking surf. Although partially flooded, the Foam, was recovered the following day.
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 LLC
Bollinger Shipyards LLC (www.bollingershipyards.com) has a 76-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 14 shipyards, all strategically located throughout Louisiana and Mississippi with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of Mexico region.