Coast Guard 'moderately confident' newest cutter won't break in half
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coast Guard is in the final stages of awarding a contract for the construction of the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), which will replace the aging Medium Endurance Cutters built during the Great Depression. The contract specifically requires a "better than 50-50 chance" the new cutters will not break in half, according to sources familiar with the RFP.
Analysts predict that the OPC will be no exception to the long list of Coast Guard contracting fiascoes.
"We don't have that DoD money, so we had to cut cost while still keeping our folks safe,'" said Capt. Marsellus Wallace, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard. "Plus, I remember making little tin foil boats in my Naval Engineering classes at the Coast Guard Academy. It's quality material."
In the 2000s, the Coast Guard noticed an alarming decrease in the operational readiness of its cutter fleet due to grueling patrols spent mahi fishing and sun tanning. In response, the Coast Guard extended the Island class 110-foot c…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Duffel Blog to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.