The Coast Guard’s seventh and eighth new National Security Cutters — ships whose construction was in doubt last year — will be funded and based in Honolulu, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said Monday.
Schatz said the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $632 million for the program, allowing the Coast Guard to acquire the seventh NSC and begin development of the eighth cutter.
"The Senate took a big step in approving resources for the Coast Guard to build two National Security Cutters and bring them to Hawaii," Schatz said in a statement. "The National Security Cutter is the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet. Bringing these two new cutters to Honolulu will give the 14th Coast Guard District the capability it needs to safeguard Hawaii’s maritime interests."
The news was welcomed by the Coast Guard here, where two high-endurance cutters, the Rush and Morgenthau, are both about 44 years old.
Nationwide, eight new NSCs, at an estimated cost of $684 million apiece, would replace 12 older cutters that were acquired in the 1960s.
"The National Security Cutters would be a tremendous asset for the Coast Guard in the Pacific because of the vast area of responsibility that the 14th Coast Guard District has," said spokesman Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gene Maestas. "We are patrolling 43 percent of the U.S. exclusive economic zones."
The 14th District covers 12.2 million square nautical miles.
The 418-foot new cutters would bring greater reach to the sea service as the main U.S. law enforcement presence in that vast region, where duties include fisheries enforcement, drug interdiction, search and rescue, engagement with China and other national security missions.
China has its own far-ranging coast guard, with its ships patrolling the disputed South China Sea. The Maritime Safety Administration ship Haixun 31 made a historic first visit to Honolulu in September and conducted a joint search-and-rescue exercise with Coast Guard counterparts.
U.S. House and Senate committees have approved acquisition of the seventh NSC and the purchase of components in the future for the eighth ship. When the ships eventually would arrive in Honolulu is unclear, but it would be at least several years.
The 14th Coast Guard District said Monday it was checking with its headquarters in Washington, D.C., to get more details on the basing plan.
A 2013 "white paper" on resourcing released by the Coast Guard said, "Compared to legacy high-endurance cutters, (the NSCs) are demonstrably better in nearly every category."
The newer ships have a 12,000-nautical-mile range over 60 days, while the older 378-foot cutters have a 9,600-mile range while at sea for 45 days, according to the report.
The NSCs have 15 percent better fuel efficiency, can carry three boats versus two, and house two H-65 Dolphin helicopters versus one on the older vessels.
They also operate with a smaller crew: 109 compared with 166. The older ships’ reliability is hampered by breakdowns and repairs, according to government reports.
The first three NSCs are based out of Alameda, Calif.; the fourth and fifth ships are under construction; and the sixth has been funded, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Last year the Obama administration didn’t include funding for the last two NSCs, leaving their future in question.
Testifying in April on the Coast Guard’s 2014 budget request, Commandant Adm. Bob Papp thanked national leaders for funding the seventh National Security Cutter, the top acquisition priority for the service’s budget.
"We still have a long way to go," Papp said. "As the Department of Defense re-balances to the Pacific and maritime activity increases in the Arctic, offshore demand for Coast Guard capabilities is increasing. Our older high-endurance cutters have served offshore for 50 years, but we are at the end of their service lives."
Papp said the acquisition of the seventh NSC is "vital" to performing Coast Guard missions "in the far offshore regions, including the harsh operating environment in the Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and Arctic."
