Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has delivered the CHARLES SEXTON, the eighth Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard.
The announcement was made by Bollinger President, Chris Bollinger , “We are very pleased to announce another successful on-time and on-budget FRC delivery to the U.S. Coast Guard. The CHARLES SEXTON was delivered to the 7th Coast Guard District in Key West, FL, and will be stationed at USCG Sector Key West. We are all looking forward to the vessel’s upcoming commissioning, as well as honoring and celebrating the heroic acts of Charles Sexton.”
The 154 foot patrol craft CHARLES SEXTON is the eighth vessel in the Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger Shipyards used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessels 26 foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials.
The Coast Guard took delivery on December 10, 2013 in Key West, Florida and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Key West, Florida during March of 2014.
Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Coast Guard Hero, Petty Officer Charles W. Sexton, who was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal for extraordinary heroism.
Sexton exhibited courage and devotion to save others in the face of grave danger. Petty Officer Sexton was on duty at Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Washington on January 11, 1991 as the fishing vessel SEA KING, a 75’ trawler, was taking on water four miles NW of the Columbia River bar. Four fishermen were aboard and the decks were awash, the engine room was filling up with water. After stabilizing an injured crewmember on board, Sexton focused on dewatering the vessel. The SEA KING was so flooded that it required several pumps to remove the seawater from the engine room. After more than six exhaustive hours of Sexton manning the pumps, the SEA KING rolled over without warning and threw its passengers into the agitated seas. Sexton, along with two fishermen, was trapped in the enclosed pilothouse. He and the two fishermen went down with the vessel.
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Bollinger Shipyards, December 11, 2013