Bollinger Shipyards delivers 54th fast response cutter to US Coast Guard

July 24, 2023, by Fatima Bahtić

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC William Sparling to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida.

This is the 180th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 54th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.

USCGC William Sparling will be the fifth of six FRCs to be homeported in Sector Boston, which is known as “The Birthplace of the Coast Guard.”

The sector is responsible for coastal safety, security, and environmental protection from the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border southward to Plymouth, Massachusetts out to 200nm offshore.

Sector Boston directs over 1,500 Active Duty, Reserve, and Auxiliary members whose mission is to protect and secure vital infrastructure, rescue mariners in peril at sea, enforce federal law, maintain navigable waterways, and respond to all hazards impacting the maritime transportation system and coastal region.

USCGC William Sparling is the fifth of 6 FRCs to be homeported in Boston, MA

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. Coxswain William Sparling was awarded a Silver Star by Admiral Chester Nimitz for his combat actions during the invasion of Guadalcanal.

Forming part of the initial assault wave, Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Sparling landed his embarked troops, and then made three return trips in the face of terrific enemy fire to land equipment, ammunition and supplies.

“We’re incredibly proud to deliver another Fast Response Cutter to be homeported in Boston, the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Bollinger President & C.E.O. Ben Bordelon.

FRCs have conducted operations as far as the Marshall Islands—a 4,400 nautical mile trip from their homeport. Measuring in at 154-feet, FRCs have a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art C4ISR suite (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), and stern launch and recovery ramp for a 26-foot, over-the-horizon interceptor cutter boat.