USCGC Joseph Gerczak

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Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Gerczak conducts sea trials off the coast of Key West 171214-G-GY119-1081.jpg
Joseph Gerczak during her sea trials
History
United States
NameJoseph Gerczak
NamesakeJoseph Gerczak
OperatorUnited States Coast Guard
BuilderBollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
LaunchedNovember 9, 2017
AcquiredNovember 9, 2017[1]
CommissionedMarch 9, 2018[2]
HomeportHonolulu, Hawaii
Identification
MottoUnrelenting courage
Statusin active service
BadgeUSCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) CoA.jpg
General characteristics
Class and typeSentinel-class cutter
Displacement353 long tons (359 t)
Length46.8 m (154 ft)
Beam8.11 m (26.6 ft)
Depth2.9 m (9.5 ft)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 4,300 kW (5,800 shp)
  • 1 × 75 kW (101 shp) bow thruster
Speed28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi)
Endurance5 days
Boats & landing
craft carried		1 × Cutter Boat - Over the Horizon Interceptor
Complement4 officers, 20 crew
Sensors and
processing systems		L-3 C4ISR suite
Armament
  • 1 × Mk 38 Mod 2 25 mm automatic gun
  • 4 × crew-served Browning M2 machine guns

USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC-1126) is the 26th Sentinel-class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard.[3] She will be the second member of the three members of her class to be homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Design[]

Like her sister ships, Joseph Gerczak is designed to perform search and rescue missions, port security, and the interception of smugglers.[4] She is armed with a remotely controlled, gyrostabilized 25 mm autocannon, four crew-served M2 Browning machine guns, and light arms. She is equipped with a stern launching ramp, that allows her to launch or retrieve a water-jet propelled high-speed auxiliary boat, without first coming to a stop. Her high-speed boat has over-the-horizon capability, and is useful for inspecting other vessels, and deploying boarding parties. She is designed to support her crew of 24 for missions of up to five days, over distances of almost 3,000 nautical miles (5,556 km; 3,452 mi).

Operational history[]

Although like her sister ships, the Joseph Gerczak is designed for missions of five days, in July 2019, while accompanied by the larger USCGC Walnut, she undertook the nine day voyage from Hawaii to American Samoa.[5][6] The Coast Guard vessels met with HMNZS Otago, a Protector-class offshore patrol vessel from New Zealand, to prepare for actual joint missions.[7]

Namesake[]

In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, who was then the United States Coast Guard's most senior non-commissioned officer, proposed that all 58 cutters in the Sentinel class should be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or one of its precursor services, who were recognized for their heroism.[8][9] In 2015 the Coast Guard announced that , who coolly shot down two Japanese planes, during World War II, before he himself was shot, would be the namesake of the 26th cutter.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "Coast Guard Accepts 26th Fast Response Cutter" (Press release). United States Coast Guard. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  2. ^ "Coast Guard commissions Hawaii's second Sentinel-class cutter". Coast Guard News. 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
  3. ^ "US Coast Guard receives 26th fast response cutter 'Joseph Gerczak'". . 2017-11-10. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  4. ^ "FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". . 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. ^ Sara Muir (2019-08-03). "USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) arrives in American Samoa on patrol". Dvidshub. Pago Pago. Retrieved 2019-08-05. 'It was a good transit, the longest we’ve conducted yet, nine days at sea and we’re proving the capabilities of these new cutters to operate over the horizon throughout the remote Pacific,' said Lt. James Provost, commanding officer of Joseph Gerczak.
  6. ^ Sara Muir (2019-08-09). "USCGC Walnut (WLB 205) conducts community engagements in Samoa". Dvidshub.net. Apia, Samoa. Retrieved 2019-08-11. The crew of the USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) is also operating in the region to conduct fisheries and enforce federal law in the American Samoa EEZ. Both cutter crews will also respond to any emergent search and rescue needs in the area and seek out opportunities to work with partner nation assets. The U.S. Coast Guard and partners combat illegal fishing and other maritime threats across the Pacific, including providing support to Pacific Island Forum nations to protect their resource security and maritime sovereignty.
  7. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard, Royal New Zealand Navy Conduct Professional Exchanges in Oceania". . 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2019-08-17. The commands from USCGC Walnut (WLB 205) and USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) spent time with peers from HMNZ Otago (P148) discussing the mission, challenges and comparing shipboard life in the region.
  8. ^ Susan Schept (2010-03-22). "Enlisted heroes honored". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. 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.
  9. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter". 2010-03-22. Archived from the original on 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2013-02-01. Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 153-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services.
  10. ^ "Acquisition Update: Coast Guard Reveals Names of FRCs 26-35". US Coast Guard. 2015-02-27. Archived from the original on 2015-03-05. Retrieved 2017-03-25. The Coast Guard recently announced the names of the 26th through 35th Sentinel-class fast response cutters through a series of posts on its official blog, the Coast Guard Compass.
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