By Troy Turner
Mobile-based Austal USA has received a contract and started work on a second Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter for the U.S. Coast Guard.
The $273 million contract option is part of a deal that includes options for up to 11 cutters with a potential value of $3.3 billion.
The ship will be named Icarus (WMSM 920).
Icarus is the second Coast Guard cutter to bear the name. The first Icarus, WPC 110, was commissioned in 1932 and was the first Coast Guard ship to sink an enemy submarine during World War II and the first to bring foreign POWs to the U.S. since the War of 1812.
The new, 360-foot cutter will conduct a variety of missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, and search and rescue.
It has a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots and a 60-day endurance period, according to Austal.
Each cutter will be capable of deploying independently or as part of task groups, serving as a mobile command and control platform for surge operations such as hurricane response, mass migration incidents and other events.
The cutters also will support Arctic objectives by helping regulate and protect emerging commerce and energy exploration in Alaska.
Including Icarus, Austal USA has seven ships under construction.
A new assembly building that will be used to support the final assembly of the Offshore Patrol Cutters is under completion. When complete, the building will provide 192,000 square feet of new covered manufacturing space. It will consist of three bays, two of which are specifically designed to erect the cutters.
“The exercise of this option is a strong sign of the successful partnership between the Coast Guard and our shipbuilding team on the OPC program,” Austal USA President Michelle Kruger said. “This award is an important step in moving into serial production and delivering this critical capability. It is a testament to the capabilities of our talented shipbuilders at Austal USA.”
Austal USA began building the company’s first cutter, Pickering, last summer.
The Offshore Patrol Cutter production joins the Navy’s Towing Salvage and Rescue (T-ATS) and Landing Craft Utility (LCU) programs in serial production at the Austal USA’s Mobile ship manufacturing facility.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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