Bollinger Shipyards has handed over the US Coast Guard’s 61st Sentinel-class patrol boat in Key West, Florida, as part of the ongoing Fast Response Cutter (FRC) program.
The vessel, commissioned as the USCGC Olivia Hooker (WPC 1161), will be homeported in Pascagoula, Mississippi, joining the USCGC Benjamin B. Dailey (WPC 1123) and the USCGC Jacob Poroo (WPC 1125) in the region.
The newest cutter honors Dr. Olivia Juliette Hooker, the first African American woman to serve in the force.
Enlisting in 1945 during the Second World War, she later became a psychology professor at Fordham University in New York and a lifelong advocate for education and civil rights.
“We are honored to deliver the Olivia Hooker to the US Coast Guard, continuing our proud tradition of providing high-quality, mission-ready vessels,” said Ben Bordelon, CEO and president of Bollinger.
“The FRC platform has proven itself time and again as a cornerstone of the Coast Guard’s fleet, excelling in a wide range of operational conditions.”
Program Expansion
The delivery comes shortly after the US Coast Guard awarded Bollinger a contract for 10 additional FRCs, supported by $1 billion in funding under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The award expands the total program to 77 vessels, extending production by about three years beyond the original 2028 schedule.
According to the US Maritime Administration, the FRC program has generated more than $2 billion in material spending and supports over 650 jobs in Southeast Louisiana, with nearly 1,700 additional jobs created indirectly.
The Sentinel Cutter
The Sentinel-class FRC was launched in 2012 to replace the US Coast Guard’s Island-class patrol boats and modernize operability across national defense, interdiction, maritime protection, and border security.
A Sentinel measures 47 meters (154 feet) and can accommodate up to 20 crew members.
It is fitted with sensors for surface and aerial search, navigation, and friend-or-foe identification, as well as a 25-millimeter weapon system and multiple crew-served machine guns.
The cutter incorporates twin MTU engines with an output of 5,800 horsepower and a 1,010-horsepower bow thruster for speeds of more than 28 knots (52 kilometers/32 miles per hour) and a range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,630 kilometers/2,877 miles).
