US Coast Guard names NSC Midgett

The US Coast Guard has christened its eighth Legend class national security cutter (NSC) Midgett (WMSL 757) at Pascagoula, Mississippi.

It honours John Allen Midgett, who was awarded the Silver Cup by the UK Board of Trade in 1918 for the renowned rescue of 42 British sailors aboard the British tanker Mirlo after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of North Carolina.

Legend-class NSCs are 127.4 metres in length, 16.4 metres in beam and displace 4,500 tonnes with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120.

Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, the coast guard flagships are used for maritime homeland security, law enforcement and national security missions.

Kimball (WMSL 756) is scheduled to be delivered to the coast guard in 2018.

They are replacing the ageing Hamilton-class cutters that have been in service since the 1960s.