Bollinger Delivers 25th Fast Response Cutter

Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and CEO, said, “This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the second FRC to be stationed in Pascagoula, Miss. Previous cutters have been stationed in Florida; San Juan, P.R.; Cape May, N.J.; Ketchikan, Alaska; Pascagoula, Miss. and Honolulu, Hawaii. 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. As we reflect on the U.S. Coast Guard’s importance to our Nation framed by the Coast Guard’s heroic response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana, we are extremely proud that the Fast Response Cutters built by Louisiana craftsmen here at Bollinger Shipyards are having such a major impact on our country’s safety and security.”

The 154 foot patrol craft USCGC Jacob Poroo is the 25th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials. To build the FRC, Bollinger used a proven, 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. 

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard Hero Jacob Poroo. For heroic and courageous action during his efforts to attempt a rescue and respond to a major building fire at the LORAN station in Adak, Alaska in 1968, Poroo was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal.