Jay Clemens
Huntington Ingalls Industries and the U.S. Coast Guard christened the agency’s fifth national security cutter — “James” during a ceremony at the company’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.
The company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division is scheduled to deliver James in the next summer, Huntington Ingalls said Saturday.
“The boundaries surrounding illegal migrant activity, weapons, drug smuggling and terrorism continue to blur and converge,” said Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger, Coast Guard vice commandant and the ceremony’s principal speaker.
“New challenges, driven by complex and uncertain times, require new ways of thinking, new strategies and the right platforms for 21st century mission execution. Platforms like the National Security Cutter,†added Neffenger.
Legend-class NSCs are intended to serve as flagships of the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet and to replace Hamilton-class cutters.
The Coast Guard’s seventh NSC ship is set for construction in 2015.
