President’s Message

August 2008: A Critical Asset

By J. MICHAEL McGRATH, National President

The first National Security Cutter (NSC), Bertholf, is unlike any other ship in the U.S. Coast Guard fleet. Its state-of-the-art propulsion and weapon systems, modern bridge and crew accommodations are unrivaled. Having spent 21 years with a naval architecture and marine engineering firm following my naval career, I like to feel I understand ship design.

This first ship in the new Legend class of eight 418-foot cutters was preliminarily accepted by the Coast Guard on May 8 and will be commissioned in its homeport of Alameda, Calif., on Aug. 4, the Coast Guard’s birthday. The Navy League of the United States has been asked to coordinate the commissioning of this FIRST major asset [see related article, page 53].

I had the opportunity to see this magnificent ship in late June when Bertholf’s commanding officer, Capt. Patrick Stadt, and his crew made a port call in Baltimore as part of the ship’s East Coast tour before heading to its homeport.

How fitting that this first-in-class ship be named for Ellsworth Bertholf, the first commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. He was appointed captain-commandant of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service in 1911, and in that position oversaw its merger with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to create the U.S. Coast Guard. He was named captain-commandant of the new service in 1915.
It was my privilege to be onboard when the ship docked at Broadway Pier in Fells Point June 27 and to be in the company of distinguished guests that included Adm. Thad Allen, Coast Guard commandant; Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.; Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and his wife, Meryl, Bertholf’s sponsor.

Secretary Chertoff, in prepared remarks, applauded the Coast Guard and its industry partners for bringing Bertholf to this point. Indeed, there were hurdles to overcome during the ship’s development and construction, and a few issues still need to be addressed. But it is in the water, in the capable hands of a captain and crew who have been assembling in Alameda, training and preparing to take over the Bertholf for nearly two years.

Adm. Allen noted during his remarks that a ship “comes to life when the crew comes aboard.” That is certainly true of Capt. Stadt and his crew, who were eager to show the 100 guests that day, and the more than 3,000 visitors that weekend, a glimpse of the Coast Guard of the future.
Part of the service’s sweeping Deepwater modernization program, the NSCs will bring to the fleet “higher sustained transit speeds; greater endurance and range; and a greater ability to launch and recover small boats, helicopters and, eventually, unmanned aerial vehicles,” according to a Coast Guard fact sheet.

The successful delivery of Bertholf — built by Northrop Grumman in Pascagoula, Miss. — reflects the progress made during the last year in the Deepwater program as a whole. Faced with a program that was rife with problems and under the congressional microscope, the Coast Guard overhauled Deepwater’s management and oversight structure, taking complete control and responsibility for past failures and vowing to turn the program around. The service has, indeed, put Deepwater back on course.

The NSCs are a critical asset for the Coast Guard, whose mission profile — drug interdiction, homeland and port security, search and rescue, law enforcement and much more — continues to grow on a tight budget using aging platforms and a talented but relatively small personnel pool.

The Coast Guard has demonstrated its ability to execute the Deepwater program and thus deserves the congressional commitment to full funding. The momentum must not be lost as budget battles continue to be waged in Washington.

One Mission — One Team