Wharf Rat's Home - A Shipmate Who Never Made it to Sea.: Coast Guard launches first fast response cutter

Preserving a piece of US Maritime History - invaluable

The USS Olympia is a cruiser that fought in the Spanish American War in 1898 and has been preserved in Philadelphia. She's a one of a kind ship, a national historic monument, and in danger. She needs approximately $10-15 million in repairs to keep her a viable museum for years to come. If you have the resources, or connections to those resources, please consider helping. (full disclosure - there is no financial benefit to me to ask the question - we need to save this ship for posterity). Please contact me at 612-599-1935 or bdskon@fedex.com if you have additional questions.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Coast Guard launches first fast response cutter - Wharf Rat Likes More Ships!

After careful coordination and preparation of the rigging, Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber is aloft. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

A New Coast Guard Era Begins.........................and we like it!

The lead Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter, the Bernard C. Webber, enters the water for the first time on April 21, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber settles into the water with the rigging attached. For the first part of the launch the cutter was kept rigged while the an inspection took place. If everything is satisfactory, the rigging is detached. U.S. Coast Guard photo

Posted by: LTJG Stephanie Young

Earlier today, the first of the Coast Guard’s fast response cutters, Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber, entered the water and now sits pier-side in Lockport, La.
The initial entry of the new cutter into water marks the beginning of its journey towards operating in support of vital missions throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, including port, waterways and coastal security, fishery patrols, search and rescue and national defense.
It took a total of three days to get the 154-foot Bernard C. Webber from the fabrication shop to the water. You can see the process play out in the photos below.
To keep up on the latest news on Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber click here. To learn more about the first 14 heroes the Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters have been named for, click here.