Deepwater Legacy Newsletters
November 2006
Text only version of the Deepwater News.
First National Security Cutter Christened; Bertholf Honors First Coast Guard Commandant
By Gordon I. Peterson
"May God bless this ship and all who sail in
her!"
said Meryl Cherthoff, sponsor of the national security
cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750), as she broke a bottle of
champagne on its bow during a christening
ceremony on Veterans Day 2006 at the Northrop
Grumman Ship Systems facility in Pascagoula, Miss.
The first-in-class cutter will be delivered to the Coast
Guard in 2007. The keel for the second hull in the
class, the Waesche, was laid in September.
(Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman)
The Deepwater Program’s progressive modernization and recapitalization of the Coast Guard’s aging legacy fleet marked a significant milestone on Veterans Day when the first of eight national security cutters was christened Bertholf (WMSL 750) at the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.
“In the name of the United States of America, may God bless this ship and all who sail in her,” said Mrs. Meryl Chertoff, the Bertholf’s sponsor and wife of Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, as she smashed a bottle of champagne across a strike plate mounted to the cutter’s bow. The audience of more than 1,000 guests erupted in applause, accompanied by the Coast Guard Band’s spirited rendition of Semper Paratus, the Coast Guard’s service song.
The Bertholf was the first major cutter to be christened for Coast Guard service since the 378-foot high-endurance cutter USCGC Midgett was launched 35 years ago.
During the nearly two-hour ceremony, speakers recognized Coast Guard veterans dating to World War II who were in attendance, praised shipyard workers who overcame the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to resume work on the cutter with minimal delay, and saluted the men and women of the Coast Guard for their continued vigilance and service to the nation in all of their maritime missions. “Our people cannot be effective without the proper tools,” said Adm. Thad W. Allen, the commandant of the Coast Guard. “Bertholf and her successors will be the most capable and interoperable cutters the service has ever had.”
Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), a Coast Guard veteran, noted the time would come when the Coast Guard would again be called to respond to a major attack on the U.S. homeland. “So it is fitting that our nation is providing you with a great ship and great training, but at the end of the day it’s going to take the great people that you are to make those things work,” he said. Read more
Coast
Guard-Industry Collaboration Guides Construction of Bertholf
A spirit of collaboration between the Coast Guard and its industry partners is often touted as fundamental to the success of the Deepwater Program’s long-term acquisition strategy and current contract with Integrated Coast Guard Systems, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Read more
Deepwater
Achieves Major Milestones in C4ISR Domain
- Coast Guard Communication Stations Receive Second of Three Planned Upgrades
- Deepwater C4ISR Increment 1 Demonstration a Success
Read more
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