The following is a news release from Bollinger Shipyards:
(LOCKPORT, La.) — Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC Richard Snyder, the 27th fast response cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on Feb. 8 in Key West, Fla. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for April in Atlantic Beach, N.C.
"We are pleased to announce the delivery of the latest FRC, the USCGC Richard Snyder,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and CEO. “This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the first FRC to be stationed in Atlantic Beach, N.C. Previous cutters have been stationed in Florida, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cape May, N.J., Ketchikan, Alaska, and Pascagoula, Miss., and Honolulu, Hawaii. FRCs already in commission have seized multiple tons of narcotics, interdicted thousands of illegal aliens and saved many lives. The FRC program is a model program for government acquisition and has surpassed all historical quality benchmarks for vessels of this type and complexity. The results are the delivery of truly extraordinary Coast Guard cutters that will serve our nation for decades to come."
The 154-foot patrol craft is the 27th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer” by senior Coast Guard officials. 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.
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 Richard Snyder. On May 27, 1944 as U.S. forces attacked Biak Island, at the western end of Papua, New Guinea, Snyder was serving as a member of Navy Beach Party No. 6 when members of a landing party were subject to severe hand grenade bombardment from Japanese troops. By his initiative and resourceful fighting qualities under fire, he defeated the enemy resistance and made possible the expeditious landing of vital material without casualty. For gallantry in action during the amphibious assault, Snyder was awarded the Silver Star.
