Marine Link
Tuesday, February 18, 2025

New Coast Guard Cutter Arrives at Homeport in Alaska

Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.

January 29, 2025

Source: USCG

Source: USCG

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon (WPC 1158) arrived at the cutter’s new homeport in Kodiak, Tuesday.

The cutter is scheduled to be commissioned during a ceremony in April.

The Witherspoon is the first of three Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak and is now the fourth FRC currently based in Alaska. While these ships will be homeported in Kodiak, they will operate throughout the 17th Coast Guard District to include the U.S. Arctic, Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.  

FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment as well as over-the-horizon response boat deployment capability and improved habitability for the crew. The ships can reach speeds of 28 knots and are equipped to coordinate operations with partner agencies and long-range Coast Guard assets such as the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutters.

FRCs are 154-foot multi-mission ships designed to conduct drug and migrant interdictions; ports, waterways and coastal security operations; fisheries and environmental protection patrols; national defense missions; and search and rescue. Each cutter is designed for a crew of 24, has a range of 2,500 miles and is equipped for patrols up to five days.

The new FRCs arriving in Alaska are designed to replace the service’s fleet of 110-foot cutters that are projected to be decommissioned this year. The Coast Guard is currently scheduled to have six FRCs operating throughout Alaska by the end of 2025 to reinforce our maritime boundaries and shorten on-scene response times to support search and rescue efforts and better serve the people of Alaska.

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week