Bollinger Shipyards LLC (“Bollinger”) has delivered the USCGC EMLEN TUNNELL to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. That is the 168th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year interval and the forty fifth Quick Response Cutter (“FRC”) delivered underneath the present program. Named in honor of Coast Guard hero and NFL nice Emlen Tunnell, the cutter is the fourth of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which can exchange the growing older 110′ Island Class Patrol Boats, constructed by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years in the past, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest abroad presence outdoors america.
Earlier this 12 months on the commissioning ceremony of the USCGC CHARLES MOULTHROPE, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz lauded the “enhanced seakeeping” capabilities of the PATFORSWA-bound FRCs, saying “these ships are really going to be recreation altering of their new theater of operations” and “provide elevated alternatives for built-in joint operations with our Navy and Marine Corps colleagues” because the Coast Guard seeks to be a part of the whole-of-government resolution set within the area.
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PATFORSWA consists of six cutters, shoreside assist personnel, and the Maritime Engagement Crew. The unit’s mission is to coach, arrange, equip, assist and deploy combat-ready Coast Guard Forces in assist of U.S. Central Command and nationwide safety goals. PATFORSWA works with Naval Forces Central Command in furthering their targets to conduct persistent maritime operations to ahead U.S. pursuits, deter and counter disruptive nations, defeat violent extremism and strengthen associate nations’ maritime capabilities as a way to promote a safe maritime setting.
Every FRC is called for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished themselves within the line of obligation. Emlen Tunnell was instrumental in saving the lives of two shipmates in two completely different heroic actions. His exploits as a Coast Guardsman after which as a ground-breaking African American on the planet {of professional} sports activities, Tunnell, by way of his unimaginable achievements each on and off the sphere, demonstrated the Coast Guard’s core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Responsibility.
“With current incursions within the Arabian Gulf, it’s a high precedence to make sure that the courageous women and men of the Coast Guard have probably the most state-of-the-art, superior vessels as they work to make sure maritime safety within the area,” stated Bollinger President & C.E.O. Ben Bordelon. “Bollinger is proud to proceed enhancing and supporting the U.S. Coast Guard’s operational presence within the Center East and making certain it stays the popular associate world wide.”
Tunnell performed faculty soccer at Toledo earlier than and after World Struggle II — he enlisted from 1943 to 1946 — and continued his collegiate profession on the College of Iowa. After leaving faculty in 1948, he hitchhiked from his residence in Pennsylvania to New York for a tryout with the New York Giants. Tunnell was the primary Black participant signed by the Giants and later performed for the Inexperienced Bay Packers. He ended up enjoying 14 seasons within the NFL and when he retired as a participant, he held league information with 1,282 interception return yards, 258 punt returns, 2,209 punt return yards, and 79 interceptions – the second most interceptions in NFL historical past at present. He then grew to become a scout and one of many league’s first Black assistant coaches, serving to totally combine each the Giants and the Packers. In 1967, Tunnell was the primary Black man and the primary defensive specialist to be enshrined in Canton.
Earlier this month, Bollinger submitted its proposal to america Coast Guard to construct Stage 2 of the Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program. If chosen, Bollinger would assemble and ship a complete of 11 vessels to the U.S. Coast Guard over the following decade, serving to to maintain the Bollinger workforce by way of 2031. Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) will present nearly all of offshore presence for the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet, bridging the capabilities of the 418-foot nationwide safety cutters, which patrol the open ocean, and the Bollinger-built 154-foot FRCs, which serve nearer to shore. The OPCs will conduct missions together with legislation enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, search and rescue, and different homeland safety and protection operations.
The FRC is an operational “recreation changer,” in response to senior Coast Guard officers. FRCs are persistently being deployed in assist of the complete vary of missions inside america Coast Guard and different branches of our armed companies. This is because of its distinctive efficiency, expanded operational attain and capabilities, and skill to rework and adapt to the mission. FRCs have carried out operations so far as the Marshall Islands—a 4,400 nautical mile journey from their homeport. Measuring in at 154-feet, FRCs have a flank velocity of 28 knots, state-of-the-art C4ISR suite (Command, Management, Communications, Computer systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), and stern launch and restoration ramp for a 26-foot, over-the-horizon interceptor cutter boat.
Bollinger Shipyards LLC has a 75-year legacy as a number one designer and builder of excessive efficiency army patrol boats and salvage vessels, analysis vessels, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil discipline assist vessels, tugboats, rigs, carry boats, inland waterways push boats, barges, and different metal and aluminum merchandise from its new building shipyards as a part of the U. S. industrial base. Bollinger has 11 shipyards, all strategically situated all through Louisiana with direct entry to the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the most important vessel restore firm within the Gulf of Mexico area.
