The 16th FRC was
named after Winslow W. Griesser, a keeper of the Buffalo, New York,
lifesaving station who was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal for his
rescue of a man thrown into the sea when two large boats broke loose
from their moorings Nov. 21, 1900. Griesser’s great-granddaughter,
Paula Griesser Fairfield, is the ship’s sponsor.
FRCs patrol the
near-offshore environment conducting a variety of missions, including
drug and migrant interdiction; ports, waterways and coastal security;
fishery patrols; and search and rescue. The ships are 154 feet long,
have a range of 2,950 nautical miles and feature advanced command,
control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance equipment; stern cutter boat launch; and improved habitability
and seakeeping. They are replacing the Island-class 110-foot patrol
boats, which entered service in the 1980s.
The service has
ordered 32 FRCs of 58 planned. The 17th FRC was delivered March 5
and is scheduled for commissioning in San Juan in mid-2016.
USCG's Fast
Response Cutter "Winslow Griesser"