USCGC Edgar Culbertson

USCGC Edgar Culbertson (WPC-1137) is the United States Coast Guard's 37th Sentinel-class cutter, and the second of three to be homeported in Galveston, Texas.[3][4]

History
United States
NameEdgar Culbertson
NamesakeEdgar Culbertson
OperatorUnited States Coast Guard
BuilderBollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
LaunchedFebruary 6, 2020
AcquiredFebruary 6, 2020[1]
CommissionedJune 11, 2020[2]
HomeportGalveston
Identification
MottoBraving the Storm
Statusin active service
General characteristics
Class and typeSentinel-class cutter
Displacement353 long tons (359 t)
Length46.8 m (153 ft 7 in)
Beam8.11 m (26 ft 7 in)
Depth2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
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
NotesFirst Commanding Officer LT Katie Shveda[2]

Design

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Like her sister ships, Edgar Culbertson is designed to perform search and rescue missions, port security, and the interception of smugglers.[5] She is armed with a remotely-controlled, gyro-stabilized 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.

The crew's drinking water needs are met through a desalination unit.[6] The crew mess is equipped with a television with satellite reception.

Operational career

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Edgar Culbertson was delivered to the Coast Guard, for her acceptance trials, in Key West, on February 6, 2020.[1][3] She arrived at her homeport of Galveston, Texas on March 23, 2020.[7] Edgar Culbertson was commissioned in Galveston on June 11, 2020.[2][8]

Namesake

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Ed Culbertson, Boatswain's Mate First Class (BM1), USCG

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.[9][10] The Coast Guard chose Edgar Culbertson as the namesake of the 37th cutter.[11] Culbertson and two other Coast Guard sailors saw three teenage boys at the end of a long pier, on Lake Superior, when a storm had whipped up 20 feet (6.1 m) waves.[3][12][13] They saw a wave wash one boy off the pier, and saw the other boys pinned by the extremity of the weather. Culbertson and his comrades ventured out onto the pier to rescue the boys, and Culbertson himself was washed away.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Coast Guard Accepts 37th Fast Response Cutter" (Press release). United States Coast Guard. 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  2. ^ a b c "Coast Guard commissions Cutter Edgar Culbertson in Galveston, Texas". Coast Guard News. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  3. ^ a b c Keith Magill (2020-02-10). "Bollinger delivers latest Coast Guard cutter". Houma Today. Retrieved 2020-02-16. The latest ship's namesake was a boatswain's mate first class petty officer who died while trying to rescue three teenage brothers during a fierce storm in Duluth, Minn, in April 1967. Culbertson was awarded the Coast Guard Medal for his bravery and heroism.
  4. ^ "Daniel Tarr Coast Guard Cutter Commissioned in Galveston, Texas". Eastern Shore Post. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-01-15. The USCGC Daniel Tarr will be commissioned Jan. 10 in Galveston, Texas, after the Coast Guard accepted delivery of the vessel in Key West, Fla., in November.
  5. ^ "FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". Defense Industry Daily. May 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. 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...
  6. ^ Jacqueline L. Urgo (November 19, 2016). "Coast Guard to get 'game changer' cutter to save lives and catch criminals". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on November 20, 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-19. Although the cutter is far from luxurious, its crew quarters provide slightly more room and comfort than earlier models, with larger staterooms, more toilets and sinks, greater storage space, and DirecTV access in the mess areas.
  7. ^ Paige Hause (2020-03-24). "Coast Guard Cutter arrives in Galveston, Texas". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Retrieved 2020-03-24. The Edgar Culbertson is the service's 37th fast response cutter.
  8. ^ "USCG Commissions Fast Response Cutter Edgar Culbertson". Marine Link. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-11. The U.S. Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson, the service's 37th fast response cutter, at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, Friday.
  9. ^ Susan Schept (March 22, 2010). "Enlisted heroes honored". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. 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.
  10. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter". March 22, 2010. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. 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.
  11. ^ "Coast Guard Aligns Names with Hull Numbers for its Sentinel-class FRCs". Seapower magazine. Washington DC. 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2017-12-09. The U.S. Coast Guard has announced the names and corresponding hull numbers for its next 20 Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), each vessel being named for a deceased leader, trailblazer or hero of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and the U.S. Lighthouse Service, according to a Dec. 12 Coast Guard release.
  12. ^ Brooks Johnson (2019-05-03). "New Cutter to Be Named for Coast Guard Hero". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 2020-02-10. Boatswain Mate First Class Edgar A. Culbertson gave his life trying to save the Halverson brothers, and for his sacrifice the Coast Guard is naming a new fast-response cutter for him.
  13. ^ "Remembering Edgar Culbertson: 52 Years Later". WDIO. 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2020-02-10. April 30, 1967, a fierce storm hit the Northland. The wind whipped huge waves up on Lake Superior. Three teenage boys, the Halverson brothers, had been swept over the side of the pier in Canal Park. Culbertson was one of three Coast Guard members who went out to try and save three boys.