"We
continue to increase our learning on this shipbuilding program, fully
capturing the affordable benefits of serial production," said Ingalls'
NSC program manager, Jim French. "While the official start fab
requires 100 tons of steel to be cut for this ship, our shipbuilders
have actually cut more than 474 tons so far on NSC 7. This paves the
way for a successful three-year build on this ship."
Designed to replace the 378-foot Hamilton-class High-Endurance Cutters,
Ingalls has delivered the first four ships in the class and is currently
building three more NSCs, with advance procurement funding already secured
for an eighth ship.
Legend-class NSCs are the flagships of the Coast Guard's cutter fleet,
designed to replace the 378-foot Hamilton-class High-Endurance Cutters
that entered service during the 1960s. The NSCs are 418 feet long, with
a 54-foot beam, displacing 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a
top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days
and a crew of 120.
NSCs are capable of meeting all maritime security mission needs required
of the High-Endurance Cutter. They include 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. The Legend class
is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in
the Coast Guard, with robust capabilities for maritime homeland security,
law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national
defense missions. NSCs play an important role in enhancing the Coast
Guard's operational readiness, capacity and effectiveness at a time
when the demand for their services has never been greater. |
