USCGC Heriberto Hernandez (WPC-1114)

USCGC Heriberto Hernandez (WPC-1114)
Heriberto Hernandez was commissioned in San Juan on 16 October 2015
History
United States
Namesake: Heriberto Hernandez
Builder: Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
Launched: July 30, 2015
Acquired: July 30, 2015[1]
Commissioned: October 16, 2015[2]
Homeport: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Identification:
Motto: Valor sin temor (Valor without fear)
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 nmi (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:

USCGC Heriberto Hernandez is the 14th Sentinel-class cutter delivered to the United States Coast Guard.[3] Like five of her sister ships, her initial assignment will see her based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[4]

The Coast Guard decided to design all its new cutters, even its smallest, to be able to accommodate mixed sex crews. The Sentinels, and the smaller Marine Protectors, have berthing areas of various sizes, to make this possible. A Sentinel's complement is 22, and they are armed with a 25 mm Bushmaster autocannon, that can operated remotely, and four crew-served fifty caliber Browning machine guns. The cutters are equipped with a sophisticated modern sensor suite, that can share data with other vessels. The Sentinel class is equipped with a stern launching ramp, that can deploy and retrieve the vessel's 7-meter high-speed jet-boat, even when the vessels are underway. Only a single crewmember is required to remain on deck to deploy or retrieve the jet-boat.

Heriberto Hernandez was commissioned in her home port, San Juan, Puerto Rico, on October 16, 2015.[2][5]

Namesake

Like all of the cutters of her class she is named after someone who served in the Coast Guard, or one of its three precursor services, the United States Revenue Cutter Service, the United States Lighthouse Service or the United States Lifeboat Service, who was recognized for their heroism.[4][3]

Heriberto Hernandez lost his life when he was a fireman on board a Point-class cutter, USCGC Point Cypress.[3] Point Cypress was patrolling a river in South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, when he died. He received a posthumous Bronze Star for valor.

References

  1. ↑ "Acquisition Update: 14th Fast Response Cutter Delivered To Coast Guard" (Press release). United States Coast Guard. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2015-07-31.
  2. 1 2 "Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez commissioned in San Juan". Coast Guard News. 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bollinger delivers FRC Heriberto Hernandez". Marine Log. 2015-07-30. Retrieved 2015-08-05. The Coast Guard took delivery on July 30, 2015 in Key West, FL, and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Puerto Rico during October, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". Defense Industry Daily. 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03. All of these boats will be named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes, who distinguished themselves in USCG or military service. The first 25 have been named, but only 8 have been commissioned...
  5. ↑ Sig Christenson (2015-10-16). "Coast Guard's newest cutter named for Kennedy High School hero". San Antonio Express News. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
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