Bollinger Delivers FRC Oliver Berry to the USCG
Bollinger Shipyards said it has delivered the Fast Response Cutter (FRC) USCGC Oliver Berry to the U.S. Coast Guard on June 27, 2017 in Key West, Fla. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for October 2017 in Honolulu.
The 154-foot patrol craft USCGC Oliver Berry is the 24th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger used an in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26 foot cutter boat.
Bollinger President & C.E.O. Ben Bordelon said, “This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the first to be stationed at U.S. Coast Guard District 14 in Honolulu. Previous cutters have been stationed in Florida; San Juan, P.R.; Cape May, N.J. and Ketchikan, Alaska.”
Bordelon said, “FRCs already in commission have seized multiple tons of narcotics, interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and saved many lives. The FRC program is a model program for government acquisition and has surpassed all historical quality benchmarks for vessels of this type and complexity. The results are the delivery of truly extraordinary Coast Guard cutters that will serve our Nation for decades to come.”
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This laltest vessel is named after Coast Guard Hero Oliver Berry, a distinguished expert mechanic on CG aircraft who was lead instructor at the first U.S. military helicopter training unit established in 1946. He received a letter of commendation from the commandant, Adm. Joseph F. Farley for his contribution to a 1946 rescue of airliner crash victims in Newfoundland, which required the rapid dismantling, air transport and reassembly of Coast Guard helicopters. Berry was commended for his meritorious service and the outstanding manner in which he performed his duties.