An artists rendering of the Heritage class Offshore Patrol Cutter courtesy of Eastern Shipbuilding Group.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Coast Guard announced today that Naval Station Newport, R.I. will be home to future Heritage Class Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs).
“I am excited to announce the homeporting of two Offshore Patrol Cutters at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island,” said Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. “NAVSTA Newport provides strategic operational reach and significant logistics support to our Service, helping secure our national interests in the Atlantic. I am grateful to the community and its leadership for their continued support of the U.S. Coast Guard and our families assigned to the region”.
OPCs are the Coast Guard’s top acquisition priority and will provide the majority of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence, bridging the capabilities of the 418-foot National Security Cutters and the 154-foot Fast Response Cutters. OPCs will conduct missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, search and rescue, homeland security, and defense operations. Each OPC will be capable of deploying independently or as part of a Task Group, and be capable of serving as a mobile Command and Control (C2) platform for surge operations such as hurricane, mass migration, or other contingency response operations.
The 360-Foot Heritage Class cutters will be named after cutters that have played a significant role in Coast Guard history. The first, Coast Guard Cutter Argus (WMSM-915), will be named after one of the first 10 ships built for the Revenue Cutter Service. It began its first patrol Oct. 16, 1791, and remained in service for 13 years, far longer than any of the other 10 cutters. For information about the remaining 10 cutters, visit here.
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