Naval Systems

Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter

Also known as
  • Sentinel-class FRC
  • Fast Response Cutter
  • FRC
  • 154-foot Fast Response Cutter
  • Webber-class cutter

The Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter is a Bollinger-built U.S. Coast Guard patrol cutter derived from a proven Damen parent-craft design and fielded as the 154-foot successor to the Island-class patrol boat. The class combines C5ISR systems, a stabilized 25 mm gun mount, crew-served machine guns, and a stern-launched over-the-horizon boat for coastal security, fisheries patrol, search and rescue, maritime interdiction, and national-defense missions from U.S., Guam, and Bahrain homeports.

Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter, 154-foot fast response cutter, Naval Systems
Image source: USCG FRC Photo

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
154-foot fast response cutter
Service note
2012-present
Designer
Damen Stan Patrol 4708 design adapted for the U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter program
Designed
2000s
Produced
2010s-present
Number built
63 delivered by June 11, 2026; 62 in service as of the Coast Guard's June 2026 delivery release; 77 ordered to date
Developed from
Island-class patrol boat replacement program

Specifications

Length
154 ft
Beam
25 ft
Draft
9 ft 6 in
Displacement
353 long tons
Maximum speed
28+ knots
Range
2,500 nautical miles
Endurance
Five days
Crew
24
Builder
Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
Primary missions
Port, waterways, and coastal security; fisheries patrol; search and rescue; countering illicit maritime activity; maritime interdiction; and national defense
Armament
Stabilized 25 mm machine-gun mount and four crew-served .50-caliber machine guns
Cutter boat
Stern launch and recovery ramp for a 26-foot over-the-horizon interceptor cutter boat
Command and surveillance
C5ISR suite and interoperable command-and-control systems for Coast Guard, DHS, and Defense Department operations
Program total
77 cutters ordered to date; 63 delivered by June 11, 2026
Industrial base
Bollinger reported 965 suppliers across 37 states supporting the program
Installed Armament

The Sentinel-class cutter's patrol role is built around maritime law-enforcement and security missions, with a stabilized 25 mm mount as the principal fixed weapon and crew-served .50-caliber guns for close-in defense.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
M242 Bushmaster, 25 mm chain gun autocannon, Armored VehiclesM242 Bushmaster25 mm gun element

Coast Guard acquisition material identifies the class armament as a stabilized 25 mm machine-gun mount, DVIDS imagery shows an MK 38 firing aboard USCGC Glen Harris, and BAE Systems identifies the Mk 38 Mod 3 shipboard system's main gun as the M242 Bushmaster.

Sources: USCG Fast Response Cutter Program, DVIDS Glen Harris MK 38, BAE Mk 38 Mod 3

Timeline

Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter Key Events

  1. Introduced to Coast Guard service

    The Coast Guard describes the Fast Response Cutter as entering the fleet in 2012 as the successor to the 110-foot Island-class patrol boat.

    Sources: USCG FRC Contract Option

  2. Ten additional cutters funded

    The Coast Guard exercised a $507 million option with Bollinger Shipyards for initial construction of 10 additional Fast Response Cutters, increasing the ordered total from 67 to 77.

    Sources: USCG FRC Contract Option

  3. FRC 1161 delivered

    Bollinger announced delivery of USCGC Olivia Hooker, the 61st Fast Response Cutter delivered under the Coast Guard's current program.

    Sources: Bollinger Olivia Hooker Delivery

  4. Vincent Danz commissioned

    The Coast Guard commissioned USCGC Vincent Danz as the 62nd Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter and the fourth of five planned Guam-homeported FRCs.

    Sources: USCG Vincent Danz Commissioning

  5. Jeffrey Palazzo delivered

    The Coast Guard accepted delivery of USCGC Jeffrey Palazzo, the 63rd Fast Response Cutter, and identified 77 FRCs ordered to date.

    Sources: USCG Jeffrey Palazzo Delivery

Related Weapon Systems
Island-class patrol boat, 110-foot coastal patrol boat, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsIsland-class patrol boat110-foot coastal patrol boatThe Island-class patrol boat is a Bollinger-built 110-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter design based on a Vosper Thornycroft patrol-boat lineage and later transferred to partner navies. Ukraine received ex-U.S. Coast Guard hulls through a transfer pipeline that began before the 2022 invasion; Sloviansk and Starobilsk entered Ukrainian service in Odesa in 2019, and Sloviansk was later reported sunk during reconnaissance and port-protection missions in the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Defender-class boat, Response boat-small patrol craft, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsDefender-class boatResponse boat-small patrol craftThe Defender-class boat is a 25-foot U.S. Coast Guard response boat-small family manufactured by SAFE Boats International. Coast Guard materials describe the RB-S as a high-speed Defender-class craft for response and security missions, with more than 400 boats in operation by 2013, while the later RB-S II program replaced the aging first-generation Defender-class fleet with larger boats emphasizing crew comfort, visibility, communications, and maintainability.
PCG-NG class, Next-generation coastal patrol vessel class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsPCG-NG classNext-generation coastal patrol vessel classThe PCG-NG class is a French next-generation coastal patrol vessel programme designed by Mauric and built by Socarenam for state-action-at-sea missions. The 46-metre vessels combine a stern ramp, fast RHIB launch-and-recovery, seven-day endurance, and light machine-gun armament for maritime policing, border control, fisheries enforcement, surveillance, search and rescue, and patrol support around metropolitan and overseas French waters.
Flamant-class patrol vessel, Patrouilleur de service public / OPV54 patrol vessel, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsFlamant-class patrol vesselPatrouilleur de service public / OPV54 patrol vesselThe Flamant class is a three-ship French Navy OPV54 public-service patrol-vessel class used for Action de l'Etat en mer tasks in the Channel and North Sea, including maritime traffic surveillance, fisheries policing, anti-trafficking patrols, pollution response, and sea rescue. The Cherbourg-based ships entered service in 1997, carry two 12.7 mm machine guns, and remain active while the French Navy extends their service into the mid-2030s.
Confiance-class patrol vessel, Offshore patrol vessel class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsConfiance-class patrol vesselOffshore patrol vessel classThe Confiance-class patrol vessel is a French Navy offshore patrol vessel class built by Socarenam from MAURIC designs for overseas sovereignty patrols in Guyane and the Antilles. The three 61-meter PAG ships combine a 20 mm remote weapon station, heavy machine guns, fast craft, navigation sensors, and pollution-response capacity for EEZ surveillance, fisheries policing, anti-trafficking, space-launch security, and crisis-response missions.
Hunt class, Mine countermeasures vessel class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsHunt classMine countermeasures vessel classThe Hunt class is a British mine countermeasures vessel class built by Vosper Thornycroft and Yarrow Shipbuilders for low-signature minehunting, route clearance, and coastal patrol work. Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence sources document HMS Brocklesby clearing mined approaches in the Gulf, Iraq, and Libya, while the remaining Royal Navy ships use sonar, clearance divers, glass-reinforced plastic hulls, and SeaFox mine-disposal vehicles to find and neutralize mines.

Sources

USCG Fast Response Cutter ProgramPublisher: United States Coast Guard | Note: Supports Sentinel-class FRC missions, Island-class replacement context, parent-craft acquisition approach, planned total, specifications, C5ISR features, armament, and program asset list. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USCG FRC Contract OptionPublisher: United States Coast Guard | Note: Supports Bollinger as the contracted manufacturer, the 2025 option for 10 additional cutters, the increase from 67 to 77 ordered cutters, the $507 million value, and the FRC's successor relationship to the Island-class patrol boat. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Bollinger FRC AwardPublisher: Bollinger Shipyards | Note: Supports Bollinger's FRC production role, delivered and contracted totals, mission description, stern-ramp cutter-boat context, and supplier-base context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Bollinger Olivia Hooker DeliveryPublisher: Bollinger Shipyards | Note: Supports delivery of USCGC Olivia Hooker as the 61st Fast Response Cutter under the current Coast Guard program and the program's 187-vessel Coast Guard partnership context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USCG Vincent Danz CommissioningPublisher: United States Coast Guard News | Note: Supports the May 22, 2026 commissioning of USCGC Vincent Danz as the 62nd FRC and fourth Guam-homeported FRC, plus Pacific operational-reach context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USCG Jeffrey Palazzo DeliveryPublisher: United States Coast Guard News | Note: Supports delivery of USCGC Jeffrey Palazzo as the 63rd FRC, the fifth Guam-homeported FRC, 77 total FRCs ordered, 62 in service, and current mission context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USCG PATFORSWAPublisher: United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area | Note: Supports Bahrain-based PATFORSWA mission context, maritime interdiction role, and six 154-foot Sentinel-class FRCs assigned to the squadron. | Accessed: 2026-07-13CENTCOM Yemen Explosive Material InterdictionPublisher: United States Central Command | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct use by reporting USCGC John Scheuerman, a Sentinel-class FRC, interdicted a Gulf of Oman vessel smuggling lethal aid from Iran to Yemen along a route used to traffic weapons to the Houthis. | Accessed: 2026-07-13CENTCOM Houthi Weapons Shipment InterdictionPublisher: U.S. Naval Forces Central Command | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct use by reporting USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr., a Sentinel-class FRC, seized advanced conventional weapons and lethal aid from Iran bound for Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-07-13BAE Mk 38 Mod 3Publisher: BAE Systems | Note: Supports Mk 38 Mod 3 shipboard weapon-system context, including the M242 Bushmaster as the main gun and the system's ship self-defense role. | Accessed: 2026-07-13DVIDS Glen Harris MK 38Publisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports MK 38 armament aboard a U.S. Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter by identifying an MK 38 firing during a July 2024 live-fire exercise aboard USCGC Glen Harris. | Accessed: 2026-07-13USCG FRC PhotoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the public-domain image showing U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters underway. | Accessed: 2026-07-13