US Coast Guard commissions fast response cutter Earl Cunningham

The US Coast Guard commissioned the Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC) USCGC Earl Cunningham during a ceremony in Kodiak, Alaska, on Monday, August 11.

The vessel is the 59th FRC to be built by Bollinger Shipyards for the coast guard.

As with its earlier sisters, Earl Cunningham has a length of 154 feet (46.9 metres), a flank speed of 28 knots, a state of the art C4ISR suite, and a stern launch and recovery ramp for a 26-foot (7.92-metre), over-the-horizon interceptor cutter boat. Armament includes a 25mm autocannon and four 12.7mm machine guns.

The cutter honours World War I veteran and enlisted coast guard sailor Earl Cunningham, who perished during an attempt to rescue two fishermen in distress in Lake Michigan in 1936. For his actions, Cunningham was awarded the Gold Life Saving Medal posthumously.

The Sentinel-class cutters are designed for multiple missions including drug and migrant interdiction, ports, waterways and coastal security, fishery patrols, and search and rescue.