Eighth US Coast Guard NSC departs shipyard for Hawaii homeport

Future USCGC Midgett, the US Coast Guard’s eighth national security cutter (NSC), got underway from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Mississippi, shipyard after being delivered to the coast guard early May.

The ship is headed for Honolulu, Hawaii, where it will be stationed along with the seventh NSC, Kimball, and fast response cutters (FRCs) Joseph Gerczak and Oliver Berry.

FRC William Hart, scheduled for commissioning in late 2019, will also be stationed there.

NSC 8 is named to honor the hundreds of members of the Midgett family who have served in the US Coast Guard and its predecessor services. At least 10 members of the Midgett family earned high honors from the US Coast Guard for their heroic lifesaving deeds. Seven Midgett family members were awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal, the US Coast Guard’s highest award for saving a life, and three were awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal.

NSCs are 418 feet (127 m) long with a 54-foot beam and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120.