CG names first 11 OPCs

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Coast Guard announced the names of its first 11 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC): USCGC Argus, USCGC Chase, USCGC Ingham, USCGC Pickering, USCGC Rush, USCGC Icarus, USCGC Active, USCGC Diligence, USCGC Alert, USCGC Vigilant, and USCGC Reliance. The OPC is the CG’s highest investment priority. The CG awarded detail design for the OPC to Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla., in September 2016. Construction is planned to begin in FY 2018. Delivery of the lead OPC is planned for FY 2021.The OPC will bridge capabilities between the National Security Cutter, which patrols the open ocean - under a contract-build with Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Miss. - and the fast response cutter, which serves closer to shore. The OPC will be “the backbone of Coast Guard offshore presence and the manifestation of our at-sea authorities,” said Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the CG. (Source: Coast Guard 08/04/17)