New US Coast Guard Legend-Class National Security Cutter Stone WMSL 758 sails to its homeport.

According to information published on December 22, 2020, The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest Legend-class national security cutter, Stone (WMSL 758), departed from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division today, sailing to its homeport in Charleston, South Carolina.
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The U.S. Coast Guard's newest Legend-class cutter, Stone (NSC 9), departed from Ingalls Shipbuilding on December 22, 2020, for its homeport. .(Picture source Huntington Ingalls)

The Stone will be commissioned in early 2021 in Charleston, which is also home to cutters Hamilton (WMSL 753) and James (WMSL 754). Ingalls is the builder-of-record for the Legend-class NSC (National Security Cutter) program and has delivered nine cutters with one more under construction and one additional under contract.

Stone is named to honor Coast Guard Commander Elmer “Archie” Fowler Stone, Coast Guard aviator number one, who made history in 1919 for being one of two Coast Guard pilots in the four man air crew who completed the first trans-Atlantic flight in a Navy seaplane.

The Legend-class NSC is the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet, which enables it to meet the high demands required for maritime and homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions. NSCs are 418 feet long with a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120.

The Legend-class National Security Cutters (NSC) are the flagships of the U.S. Coast Guard. They are the largest and most technologically advanced ships in the Coast Guard’s fleet, with capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement and national security missions.

The NSC features advanced command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, as well as aviation support facilities and stern boat launch capability. Technological advancements will also allow a smaller crew to operate an NSC, reducing manpower requirements.The NSC also carries enough food and consumables to stay at sea for 60 days and has the ability to conduct vertical replenishment at sea and to refuel at sea in order to extend patrols.

The NSC has a length of 127 m,  a beam of 16 m, and a draft of 6.9m. The ship has a Combined Diesel and (CODAG) propulsion system consisting of two 7,400 kW (9,900 hp) MTU 20V 1163 diesel engines and one 22 MW (30,000 hp) LM2500 gas turbine engine. She can reach a top speed of 28 knots/32 mph/52 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 12,000 NM/13,809 miles/22,224 km. The ship has an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120 sailors. 

The NSC is armed with one MK 110 57mm gun a variant of the Bofors 57 mm gun and Gunfire Control System, one 20 mm Block 1B Baseline 2 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System, four crew-served .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns and two crew-served M240B 7.62 mm machine guns.