The following is text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(SAN DIEGO) — The Coast Guard cutter Benjamin Bottoms, the fourth California-based 154-foot fast response cutter (FRC), arrived in San Diego, on Friday and was open for public tours throughout the weekend.
Benjamin Bottoms is the last of four FRCs to be home-ported at Base Los Angeles-Long Beach. While these ships will be based in Southern California, they will operate throughout the 11th Coast Guard District, which includes all of California and international waters off of Mexico and Central America.
"The fast response cutters are game-changing," said Lt. Lennie Day, Benjamin Bottoms' commanding officer. "The increased capability of its communication suite combined with its over-the-horizon, long-range small-boat will significantly aide complex Coast Guard missions."
FRCs from Bollinger Shipyards are 154-foot multi-mission ships designed to conduct: drug and migrant interdictions; ports, waterways and coastal security operations; fisheries and environmental protection patrols; national defense missions; and search and rescue. Each cutter is designed for a crew of 24, has a range of 2,500 miles and is equipped for patrols up to five days. The FRCs are part of the Coast Guard’s overall fleet modernization initiative.
FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment as well as over-the-horizon response boat deployment capability and improved habitability for the crew. The ships can reach speeds of 28 knots and are equipped to coordinate operations with partner agencies and long-range Coast Guard assets such as the Coast Guard’s national security cutters.
FRCs are named in honor of Coast Guard enlisted leaders, trailblazers and heroes. The four California-based FRCs are:
Benjamin Bottoms (WPC 1132) – Bottoms was part the Coast Guard aircrew that rescued an Army aircrew from a downed B-17 off the west coast of Greenland in 1942. Bottoms and the pilot conducted the first landing of a cutter plane on an icecap and commenced a two-day rescue over a rugged arctic terrain that required multiple flights. During the second day of rescue operations, radio contact with Bottoms’ plane was lost and he was declared missing in action.
Robert Ward (WPC 1130) – Ward operated beach-landing boats during the Normandy invasion. He landed his craft on the Cotentin Peninsula and rescued two stranded boat crews in the face of a heavily fortified enemy assault.
Forrest Rednour (WPC 1129) – Rednour aided in the rescue of 133 people during the sinking of the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, Feb. 3, 1943. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions. Rednour lost his life in the sinking of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba in June 1943.
Terrell Horne III (WPC 1131) – Horne was murdered by suspected drug smugglers who intentionally rammed the boat he and fellow Coast Guardsmen were aboard during law enforcement operations near Santa Cruz Island off the Southern California coast in December 2012. Horne pushed one of his shipmates out of the way of the oncoming vessel attack and sustained fatal injuries.
