USCGC ''James'' (WMSL-754) is the fifth 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 ...
.
Etymology
USCGC ''James'' is named for
Joshua James (1826–1902), an American sea
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
and a
U.S. Life-Saving Service station keeper credited with saving over 600 lives.
History
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) is the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States as well as a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. HII, ranked No. 375 on the Fortune 500, was formed ...
,
Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi was awarded the $482.8 million construction contract September 9, 2011. Construction officially began May 14, 2012 with the ceremony marking the cutting of the first 100 tons of steel. The keel was laid on May 17, 2013. The cutter's sponsor is James' great great niece, Charlene Benoit. She is the great grand daughter of Joshua James' brother, Samuel James.
''James'' was launched on May 3, 2014. She was christened August 16, 2014 and was commissioned in Boston on August 8, 2015.
''James'' served as a command and control platform in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sept. 25, 2017. The cutter's crew deployed to aid in
Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the ...
response operations and the ship's communications capabilities were used to help first responders coordinate efforts on the island.
On August 8, 2022, ''James'' was damaged when the cutter ran aground while underway. After an investigation Captain Marc Brandt was permanently relieved of duties as the commanding officer of ''James''.
In April 2024, ''James'' will deploy to
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
for training exercise against illegal fishing with the
Prefectura Naval Argentina
but all of this lacks the authorization of Argentine Congress, required by law 25,880 on the entry of foreign military personnel. The ship that arrived in Buenos Aires on April 29, 2024 does not have authorization from Argentine Congress, as required by law, although there are controversies about this interpretation of the law
.
See also
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Integrated Deepwater System Program
References
External links
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Legend-class cutters
2014 ships
Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi
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