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March 12, 2012
During a day that combined the spirits of a family reunion with military ceremony, the Sentinel Class U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, manufactured by Bollinger Shipyards, was dedicated on the bank of Bayou Lafourche.
More than 500 personal relations, company employees, friends, dignitaries and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy and Marines participated in a Friday brunch, dedication ceremony and lunch outside the Bollinger family home in Lockport.
“Today is real special because we are honoring heroes of the Coast Guard, enlisted people, and we are honoring the fleet,” Bollinger Shipyards CEO Donald “Boysie” Bollinger said.
“What you see here is vessel No. 4, but it is not about a vessel, it’s about a whole fleet that is the greatest asset the Coast Guard is receiving,” the shipbuilder continued. “What is especially special is it is replacing [Island Class] vessels we built right here in Lockport just 27 years ago.”
Bollinger holds a contract to build at least 12 of the first Sentinel Class response cutters with an allowance to construct at least 34 more of the 58 federally appropriated ships.
The first Sentinel Class vessel was delivered to the Coast Guard on Feb. 10 and is stationed in Miami. Vessels No. 2 and No. 3 were in the shipyard water on the day of celebration.
The current contract for Bollinger is valued at $1.5 billion and represents job security for more than 500 people working on this project. It is estimated that the Sentinel Class also contributes to 2,400 indirect jobs.
The Sentinel Class Cutter is operated by a crew of 22 people. It is 154 feet in length and powered by two 5,760 horsepower engines that give the vessel a cruising speed of 28 knots (approximately 30 mph).
The electronics suite provides command and control capabilities with the latest technology available for a patrol vessel.
The ship is equipped with a 25mm chain gun, four .50-caliber machine guns and is able to perform independently for a minimum five days at sea and 2,500 hours per year.
“We are enjoying this,” Bollinger employee Les Rivora said. Among the crew working on this project Rivora noted a historic significance and his personal pride to be involved with the program. “You get to see what you built and it serves a purpose.”
Rivora said that construction of each vessel takes approximately one year from cutting plates to delivery.
“This is a great day,” Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Jefferson) said. “Bollinger Shipyards has been a great employer for our region. They produce great quality ships for the Coast Guard. The fact that they have been so aggressive in winning big contracts is great for south Louisiana because it creates hundreds of good job here in Lockport and is a great contributor to Louisiana’s economy.”
“The crews on these vessels save lives,” Gov. Bobby Jindal said. “They permit commerce to flow through our ports. They do this every day because it is their mission and honor to serve the United State of America.”
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said the Sentinel Class cutters are each being named after Coast Guard heroes. Those included Petty Officer 1st Class Bernard C. Webber, after whom the ship on display was named. In February 1952, Webber drove a motor lifeboat through 60-foot seas to rescue 32 men from a tanker stern off the coast of Massachusetts.
The senior senator from Louisiana also told of Margaret Norvell, who was appointed lighthouse keeper of both the Port Pontchartrain light and the West End light. Norvell was credited with navigating a rowboat for two hours, on a stormy night in 1926, to save the survivor of a Navy aircraft that crashed in Lake Pontchartrain.
As part of the dedication ceremony, Landrieu and Amr. Robert J. Papp, Jr. placed commissioning pennants for Sentinel Class cutters on display boxes, which will ultimately be presented to commanding officers of each vessel during commissioning ceremonies. “There are more than 58 pennants,” Bollinger quipped, “because you never, never know.”
“I’m going to fight as the chairman of Homeland Security to keep [the] tradition of shipbuilding for our military [and] commercial ships, and for the flag that flies over us today,” Landrieu said.
“What a great day for the Bollinger family, for Louisiana and for the United States,” state Rep. Gordon Dove (R-Houma) commented.
“Ah, that new Coast Guard cutter smell,” Papp remarked with a smile. “The Sentinel Class is going to raise the bar.”
“This is hopefully the beginning of a long run of patrol boats for the Coast Guard,” Bollinger said. “Today is perfect.”
The fourth of what Bollinger Shipyards hopes will be 58 Sentinel Class cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard is docked for delivery on Bayou Lafourche.
