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Robert Powell, III// May 1, 2013//
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries a $487 million contract to build a sixth National Security Cutter (NSC).
The vessel will be built by the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division.
NSCs are the flagships of the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet. They were designed to replace the 378-foot Hamilton-class, high-endurance cutters, which entered service during the 1960s.
The Ingalls division has delivered the first three NSCs. The fourth, currently at 40 percent complete, is scheduled to launch this summer and will be christened in October.
Keel-laying for the fifth NSCis set for May 17. The ship is 17 percent complete and will launch in the spring of 2014.
Ingalls builds, integrates and tests the NSC hull, mechanical and electrical systems, while Lockheed Martin provides the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities onboard the cutters.
NSCs are 418 feet long with a 54-foot beam, displacing 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 110.
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