BALTIMORE (D5 Public Affairs) – The Coast Guard’s first National Security Cutter, Bertholf, is scheduled to make a port call at Broadway Pier, Fell’s Point, Md. Friday.
Public tours are being offered Saturday, June 28, from 1 – 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 29, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Bertholf is the lead ship in the new Legend class of cutters designed to be the flagship of the modern Coast Guard fleet. Bertholf will improve operational readiness and enable the Coast Guard to fulfill its multi-mission roles more effectively through better sea keeping, higher sustained transit speeds, greater endurance and range, and a greater ability to launch and recover improved small boats, helicopters, and eventually unmanned aerial vehicles – all key attributes in enabling the Coast Guard to implement increased security responsibilities.
“It’s exciting to bring Bertholf into the Chesapeake Bay and in particular, to the Annapolis and Baltimore areas, where I’ve spent many sailing seasons racing catamarans with great friends. Not only is it a wonderful stop for the crew, but it provides us with the rare opportunity to display this superb national asset to senior leadership in the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and to the staff and members of Congress,” said Stadt.
Bertholf is scheduled to visit Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to give Coast Guard leadership, Congress and other stakeholders in the Washington, D.C., area an opportunity to see the new cutter.
During the transit to Baltimore, Bertholf crewmembers will continue to explore the capabilities of the Coast Guard’s newest cutter. In addition to small boat and helicopter operations, the crew of Bertholf will be conducting live fire exercises on all of their weapons systems.
Bertholf is the first of eight national security cutters to be built for the Coast Guard. The cutter’s fitting motto, “Legends Begin Here” was established on June, 26, 2006. Bertholf was christened on November 11, 2006, Veterans’ Day, and is named after Commodore Ellsworth P. Bertholf, the first Commandant of the Coast Guard. A formal commissioning ceremony is scheduled to take place at Bertholf’s homeport of Alameda, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2008.
