LOCKPORT, La., Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC DONALD HORSLEY, the 17th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard.
The announcement was made by Bollinger’s President & C.E.O., Ben Bordelon. “We are very pleased to announce the delivery of the latest FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards, the USCGC DONALD HORSLEY, to the 7th Coast Guard District in Puerto Rico. We are looking forward to honoring and celebrating the heroic acts of Donald Horsley at the vessel’s commissioning.”
The 154 foot patrol craft USCGC DONALD HORSLEY is the 17th vessel in the Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger 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 vessel’s 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 March 5, 2016 in Key West, Florida, and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Puerto Rico during May, 2016.
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 Donald Horsley. Master Chief Petty Officer Donald H. Horsley was the recipient of the Bronze Star with combat “V” device for his leadership of Division 13 of Coast Guard Squadron One during the Vietnam War.
Bollinger Shipyards LLC (www.bollingershipyards.com) is a leading designer and builder of fast military patrol boats, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil field support vessels, tug boats, rigs, liftboats, inland waterways push boats, barges, and other steel and aluminum products from its new construction shipyards. Bollinger has 10 shipyards and all are strategically located between New Orleans and Houston with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of Mexico region with a total of 29 dry-docks in Louisiana and Texas.