USCGC Stratton

USCGC Stratton (WMSL-752)
USCGC Stratton in 2016
History
United States
NamesakeDorothy C. Stratton
OrderedJanuary 2001
Builder
Laid downJuly 20, 2009
LaunchedJuly 23, 2010
Sponsored byMichelle Obama
ChristenedJuly 23, 2010
AcquiredSeptember 2, 2011
CommissionedMarch 31, 2012
Identification
Motto"We Can't Afford Not To"
Badge
General characteristics
TypeUnited States Coast Guard Cutter
Displacement4,500 long tons (4,600 t)
Length418 feet (127 m)
Beam54 feet (16 m)
Draft22.5 feet (6.9 m)
Installed power3 x Caterpillar 3512B diesel generators
Propulsion
SpeedOver 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km; 14,000 mi)
Endurance60 days
Complement113 (14 officers + 99 enlisted) and can carry up to 148 depending on mission[2]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • EADS 3D TRS-16 AN/SPS-75 Air Search Radar
  • SPQ-9B Fire Control Radar
  • AN/SPS-79 Surface Search Radar
  • AN/SLQ-32B(V)2
  • AN/UPX-29A IFF
  • AN/URN-25 TACAN
  • MK 46 Mod 1 Optical Sighting System
  • Furuno X and S-band radars
  • Components of the Lockheed Martin COMBATSS-21 combat management system[3]
  • Link-11 communication system
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • AN/SLQ-32B(V)2 Electronic Warfare System
  • 2 × SRBOC/ 2 × NULKA countermeasures chaff/rapid decoy launchers
Armament
ArmorBallistic protection for main gun
Aircraft carried1 × MH-65C Dolphin MCH and 2 × sUAS[5]
Aviation facilities50-by-80-foot (15 m × 24 m) flight deck, hangar for all aircraft

USCGC Stratton (WMSL-752) is the third Legend-class cutter of the United States Coast Guard. It is the first "white hull" cutter named after a woman since the 1980s (USCGC Harriet Lane was launched in 1984). Stratton is named for Coast Guard Captain Dorothy C. Stratton (1899–2006). Stratton served as director of the SPARS, the Coast Guard Women's Reserve during World War II.[6]

History

Construction began in 2008 by Northrop Grumman's Ship System Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The keel was laid on July 20, 2009. The cutter's sponsor is Michelle Obama, who is the first First Lady to sponsor a Coast Guard cutter.[7]

On 23 July 2010 Michelle Obama christened the cutter in a ceremony at the ship builder's.[8]

Michelle Obama chrisening Stratton

In August 2011, Stratton completed sea trials.[9] On September 2, 2011 Stratton was acquired by the Coast Guard.[10] On December 19, 2011 Stratton arrived in San Francisco, pier 27, for its inaugural homecoming visit to the Bay Area.[11]

On March 31, 2012, Stratton was officially commissioned by the Coast Guard in Alameda, California, with First Lady Michelle Obama in attendance.[12]

In April 2012, the crew of Stratton discovered four holes in the hull and the ship was sent to drydock to have these repaired.[13]

On July 18, 2015, Stratton intercepted a semi-submersible loaded with approximately 16,000 pounds of cocaine. Stratton was able to offload more than 12,000 pounds worth an estimated $181 million before the craft sank.[14][15] It is estimated to be the largest such seizure of its kind.[16]

In July 2015, Insitu UAS demonstrated how ScanEagle can maximize the effectiveness of USCG vessels, the exercise also showcased the platform's ability to conduct seamless, concurrent aviation operations with crewed aircraft.[17]

On June 13, 2019, the Stratton departed for a Western Pacific patrol in support of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command where the cutter would operate under tactical control of the United States Seventh Fleet commander.[18] During this patrol, the Stratton would enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, combat illegal fishing, conduct capacity-building exercises with navies and coast guards, and would also participate in various military exercises and training's, including Maritime Training Activity Malaysia 2019, Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Indonesia 2019, and Exercise Talisman Saber.[19][20]

USCGC Stratton and the RKS Teanoai) at sea near Kiribati 2019

During Exercise Talisman Saber the cutter Stratton was a part of an amphibious readiness group that conducted an exercise to move Marines and associated equipment ashore in a simulated hostile environment, the cutter would act as a forward screen vessel and also provided fire support for the Marines during the landing.[21] During the patrol, the cutters crew would conduct surface warfare training, including drills to defend against a missile attack on the cutter.[22] The Stratton returned to Alameda California on November 22, 2019, during the 162-day patrol the cutter visited ports in Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ "MTU Powers Deepwater National Security Cutter". The world of Dieselman - MTU. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  2. ^ "National Security Cutter: Program Profile". USCG.mil. US Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  3. ^ "COMBATSS-21 Scalable combat management system for the world's navies" (PDF). www.lockheedmartin.com. Lockheed Martin. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018. Components fielded on Aegis, LCS and Deepwater National Security Cutter
  4. ^ "National Security Cutters". Defensemedianetwork. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2017. With much more room on the national security cutter it becomes a considerably more capable platform, because if needed, more sensors and weapons can be added.
  5. ^ Coast Guard Selects Small UAS For NSC (PDF), USCG Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, retrieved 16 December 2017
  6. ^ Susan Gvozdas (2009-07-21). "Coast Guard Lays Keel for NSC Stratton". Navy Times. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
  7. ^ "First Lady Leaves Her Mark on Future USCGC Stratton". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
  8. ^ "Michelle Obama Christens National Security Cutter Stratton". United States Coast Guard. 2010-07-23. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  9. ^ "Cutter Completes Acceptance Trials". UPI. 2011-08-16. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  10. ^ LT Stephanie Young (2011-09-02). "Coast Guard Takes Possession of Stratton". Coast Guard Compass blog. US Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
  11. ^ "Inaugural homecoming for Coast Guard's third National Security Cutter". uscgnews.com. December 21, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  12. ^ John Coté (2012-04-01). "Michelle Obama Commissions Coast Guard Cutter". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2012-04-01. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  13. ^ Alicia A. Caldwell (2012-05-08). "New Coast Guard ship has rust, holes in hull". Navy Times.
  14. ^ Pete Williams and Phil Helsel (2015-08-06). "Coast Guard Busts Homemade Submarine, Seizes $181M Worth of Cocaine". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2015-08-09. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  15. ^ United States Coast Guard (2015-08-06). "U.S. Agencies Stop Semi-Submersible, Seize 12,000 Pounds of Cocaine". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  16. ^ Svati Kirsten Narula (2015-08-07). "The US coast guard's biggest drug bust ever involved 16,000 pounds of cocaine and a homemade submarine". Quartz. Archived from the original on 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  17. ^ "Insitu to provide ScanEagle UAS Services to U.S. Coast Guard". www.navyrecognition.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  18. ^ "Coast Guard Cutter Stratton to depart for Western Pacific deployment". coastguardnews.com/. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Coast Guard Cutter Stratton arrives in Malaysia following training and engagements in Indonesia". content.govdelivery.com. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  20. ^ "Coast Guard Cutter Stratton participates in Talisman Sabre 2019". content.govdelivery.com/. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  21. ^ "US Coast Guard maritime warfare a junior officers perspective". www.dvidshub.net. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  22. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton in the Indo-Pacific — Traversing the New Center of Gravity". www.defensemedianetwork.com. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  23. ^ "CG Cutter Stratton Returns After 162 Days". www.marinelink.com/. Retrieved 22 November 2019.