SWATH landing barge handed over to Philippine Coast Guard

The Philippine Red Cross formally handed over a SWATH rescue vessel to the Philippine Coast Guard in a ceremony on Thursday, January 30.

Amazing Grace is the former Susitna, which was acquired by the Red Cross in 2016. The vessel was originally built in 2010 as a working prototype for a proposed US Navy expeditionary craft that could transition between a landing barge and a twin-hulled ship capable of high-speed cruise even in rough seas, an attribute made possible by the simple lowering and raising of its centre deck.

Prior to being delivered to the Philippines, the vessel enjoyed a brief service career plying the Anchorage-Point Mackenzie route in Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna borough.

The coast guard will use the vessel for humanitarian and disaster relief operations, particularly the loading and unloading of aid equipment and personnel as well as casualty evacuation. The vessel performed these same roles while still in Red Cross service.