USCGC ''Argus'' (WMSM-915) is the
lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very comple ...
of the s of the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
(USCG), and a part of the OPC (Offshore Patrol Cutter) Ship Type. She is the second ship to be named after
Argus Panoptes
Argus or Argos Panoptes (, "All-seeing Argos") is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. Known for his perpetual vigilance, he served the goddess Hera as a watchman. His most famous task was guarding Io, a priestess of Hera, whom Zeus had transf ...
, the first being USRC ''Argus'', a
Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress () on 4 August 1790 as the Revenue-Marine at the recommendation of the nation's first United States Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexand ...
ship which was decommissioned and sold in 1804.
Development and design
Heritage-class cutters are the newest class of
cutter in the USCG, bridging the capabilities of the and es. They are tasked to go against lightly armed hostiles in low-threat environments.
In February 2014, the USCG announced that
Bollinger Shipyards
Bollinger Shipyards is an American constructor of ships, workboats and patrol vessels.
Its thirteen shipyards and forty drydocks are located in Louisiana and Texas. Its drydocks range in capacity from vessels of 100 tons displacement to 22,000 t ...
,
Eastern Shipbuilding, and
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works had been awarded design contracts for the OPC. The
Government Accountability Office
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the s ...
denied contract appeals by VT Halter Marine and Ingalls Shipbuilding.
In September 2016, Eastern Shipbuilding of
Panama City
Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...
, Florida, was awarded a $110.3 million contract to build the first Offshore Patrol Cutter with an option to purchase eight additional cutters. On October 15, 2016, the Coast Guard issued a notice to proceed with the detailed design of the Offshore Patrol Cutter to Eastern Shipbuilding.
Construction and career
The construction of ''Argus'' was planned to begin in the late summer of 2018, with delivery in August 2021. On September 28, 2018, the USCG exercised the contract option to begin construction of the lead Offshore Patrol Cutter, along with long-lead materials for OPC #2. The total value of the options exercised is $317.5 million.
Delayed by the impact of
Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...
in October 2018, steel cutting for USCGC ''Argus'' began on January 7, 2019. She was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one ...
on 28 April 2020.
In August 2023, the Coast Guard estimated that the ''Argus'' would not be delivered until around September 30, 2024, over three years later than its original projected delivery date of August 2021, and nearly six years after Eastern Shipbuilding first cut steel for the ''Argus'' in January 2019.
USCGC ''Argus'' was launched on October 27, 2023.
On March 5, 2025, Congressman Mike Ezell, Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, reported that the Coast Guard now expects delivery of USCGC ''Argus'' at the end of 2025, "four years late, and with a host of non-compliant parts."
See also
*
Integrated Deepwater System Program
The Integrated Deepwater System Program (IDS Program or Deepwater) was the 25-year program to replace all or much of the United States Coast Guard's equipment, including aircraft, ships, and logistics and command and control systems. The $24 bil ...
References
Heritage-class cutters
Ships of the United States Coast Guard
External links
Offshore Patrol Cutter christened, launched at Eastern Shipbuilding Group on ''Oct. 27, 2023''
{{Heritage-class cutter