USCGC Lawrence O. Lawson

USCGC Lawrence Lawson is the 20th Sentinel-class cutter to be delivered to the United States Coast Guard.[3][4][5][1][6] She was built at Bollinger Shipyards, in Lockport, Louisiana, and delivered to the Coast Guard, for her sea trials, on October 20, 2016. She was commissioned on March 18, 2017.[2] She is the second cutter of her class to be the homeported at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey, and also the second to be stationed outside of the Caribbean.

The crew of Lawrence Lawson mans the rail during sea trials off the coast of Miami
History
United States
Name: Lawrence Lawson
Namesake: Lawrence O. Lawson
Operator: United States Coast Guard
Builder: Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
Launched: October 20, 2016
Acquired: October 20, 2016[1]
Commissioned: March 18, 2017[2]
Homeport: Cape May, New Jersey
Identification:
Motto: Born on tragedy, bred in heroism
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Sentinel-class cutter
Displacement: 353 long tons (359 t)
Length: 46.8 m (154 ft)
Beam: 8.11 m (26.6 ft)
Depth: 2.9 m (9.5 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × 4,300 kW (5,800 shp)
  • 1 × 75 kW (101 shp) bow thruster
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Endurance:
  • 5 days, 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi)
  • Designed to be on patrol 2,500 hours per year
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 1 × Short Range Prosecutor RHIB
Complement: 2 officers, 20 crew
Sensors and
processing systems:		 L-3 C4ISR suite
Armament:

Like her sister ships, Lawrence Lawson is primarily devoted to search and rescue, and interception of drug and people smugglers. The vessels are capable of a full speed of at least 28 knots (32 mph), and have a range of 2,950 nautical miles (5,460 km). The vessels are designed to support a crew of approximately two dozen, for missions of up to five days.[3] The 58 Sentinel-class cutters will replace the slightly smaller Island-class cutters.

Homeported in Cape May
Lawrence Lawson and Rollin Fritch at Cape May homeport

The homeport of Lawrence Lawson and her sister ship, Rollin A. Fritch is the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May.[7][8] According to the Cape May County Herald local citizens welcome the Coast Guard presence, and its contribution to the local economy.

Operational history

Days after President Donald Trump announced he was making a large cut to the Coast Guard's budget the Coast Guard diverted Lawrence Lawson to Washington DC, where senior members of the military and Congress toured the vessel.[8]

Congressmen listen to Lieutenant Commander Joe Rizzo, when his vessel, the USCGC Lawrence Lawson visited Washington DC

Her first commanding officer was LCDR Joe Rizzo, a 2005 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy [9]

Namesake

In 2010, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, the U.S. Coast Guard's senior enlisted person at the time, lobbied for the new Sentinel-class cutters to be named after enlisted Coast Guardsmen, or personnel from its precursor services, who had distinguished themselves by their heroism.[10] The vessel is named in honor of Lawrence O. Lawson, who served as the United States Lifesaving Service's stationkeeper, in Evanston, Illinois, and who lead the crew of his oar-powered surfboat into icy, stormy waters in the widely celebrated rescue of the entire crew of the steamship Calumet.[11][12][13]

References
  1. "Acquisition Update: Coast Guard Accepts 20th Fast Response Cutter" (Press release). United States Coast Guard. 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  2. "Coast Guard Cutter Lawrence Lawson Commissioning". Coast Guard News. 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  3. Ken Hocke (2016-10-20). "Bollinger delivers another USCG fast response cutter". Workboat.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2016-10-20. The FRCs are named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished him or herself in the line of duty. This vessel is named after Lawrence Lawson, who was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal on Oct. 17, 1890, for his leadership skills and heroic efforts in the successful rescue of the 18-member crew of the steam vessel Calumet.
  4. Mike Hill (2016-10-20). "Fast-response cutter delivered to Coast Guard". Houma Today. Retrieved 2016-10-20. The 154-foot patrol craft Lawrence Lawson is the 20th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program, the company said. Bollinger said the decision to have two of these vessels at Cape May is significant because it expands the footprint of FRC operations beyond the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
  5. Eric Haun (2016-10-20). "Bollinger Delivers FRC to the US Coast Guard". Marine Link. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  6. "USCG accepts 20th FRC". Shephard Media. 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2016-10-25. The US Coast Guard (USCG) has accepted delivery of its 20th Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC), USCGC Lawrence Lawson, it announced on 21 October. This will be the second FRC to be stationed at Cape May, New Jersey, following its commissioning in early 2017.
  7. "Coast Guard Non-Profit Announces Events & Requests Volunteers for 2016/2017". Cape May County Herald. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2017-03-03. First, November 19 is the official ceremony for the commissioning of the USCG Rollin A. Fritch, a Sentinel Class or "Fast Response Cutter" (FRC) to be homeported at Training Center Cape May. This is the first of three FRCs to be homeported at TRACEN replacing the aging (now 40 years old) 210-foot cutters previously based there.
  8. Al Campbell (2017-03-09). "Cutter Lawson Heads to Cape May, Commissioning Takes Place March 18". Washington DC: Cape May County Herald. Retrieved 2017-03-11. From sea trials in December off Miami, Fla. to the nation's capital March 6, the Coast Guard Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutter Lawrence Lawson is headed to Cape May.
  9. http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/community/coast_guard/article_6742ffc6-0e66-11e7-8aaf-7373121b21d4.html%7CCape May County Herald, Mar. 21, 2017
  10. Susan Schept (2010-03-22). "Enlisted heroes honored". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2013-02-01. After the passing of several well-known Coast Guard heroes last year, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" Bowen mentioned in his blog that the Coast Guard does not do enough to honor its fallen heroes.
  11. Stephanie Young, Christopher Havern (2014-01-20). "Coast Guard Heroes: Lawrence O. Lawson". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  12. "Northwestern University : a history : 1855-1905". Northwestern University. 1955. Retrieved 2016-10-20. Mr. Lawson's appointment, which was made July 17, 1880, was due to the general conviction of those most interested that the service demanded as responsible head a man of more mature years and experience than was likely to be found among the students.
  13. "Acquisition Update: Coast Guard Unveils Names of FRCs 16-25". US Coast Guard. 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2016-12-15. The Coast Guard recently announced the names of 10 Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (WPCs 1116-1125) through a series of posts on its official blog, the Coast Guard Compass. Like the first 15 ships in the class, each ship will honor a Coast Guard enlisted hero.
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