Wikipedia

USCGC Margaret Norvell

USCGC Margaret Norvell (WPC-1105) is the fifth Sentinel-class cutter, based at Miami, Florida.[3][4] She was launched on January 13, 2012, and delivered to the Coast Guard on March 21, 2013.[1][5][6][7] She was commissioned on June 1, 2013.[2][8][9] She was commissioned at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, near where her namesake, Margaret Norvell, staffed a lighthouse for decades.

USCGC Margaret Norvell, delivered to the USCG on March 21, 2013, and commissioned June 1, 2013.
History
United States
NameUSCGC Margaret Norvell
NamesakeMargaret Norvell
OperatorUnited States Coast Guard
BuilderBollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
LaunchedJanuary 13, 2013
AcquiredMarch 21, 2013[1]
CommissionedJune 1, 2013[2]
HomeportMiami, Florida
Identification
MottoTrue steady unfailing
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeSentinel-class cutter
Displacement353 long tons (359 t)
Length46.8 m (154 ft)
Beam8.11 m (26.6 ft)
Depth2.9 m (9.5 ft)
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 RHIB
Complement4 officers, 20 crew
Sensors and
processing systems		L-3 C4ISR suite
Armament

The Key News reported that Margaret Norvell was in Key West on April 2, 2013, finishing her outfitting.[10]

Design

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The Sentinel-class cutters were designed to replace the shorter 110-foot (34 m) Island-class patrol boats.[11] Margaret Norvell is armed with a remote-control 25 mm Bushmaster autocannon and four crew-served M2HB .50-caliber machine guns. She has a bow thruster for maneuvering in crowded anchorages and channels. She also has small underwater fins for coping with the rolling and pitching caused by large waves. She is equipped with a stern launching ramp, like the Marine Protector class and the eight failed expanded Island-class cutters. She has a complement of twenty-two crew members. Like the Marine Protector class and the cancelled extended Island-class cutters, the Sentinel-class cutters originally deployed the Short Range Prosecutor rigid-hulled inflatable (SRP or RHIB) in rescues and interceptions.[12] The current outfit is the Cutter Boat - Over The Horizon (CB-OTH-IV), the same as deployed on the Reliance, Famous, and Legend classes of cutters.[13] According to Marine Log, modifications to the Coast Guard vessels from the Stan 4708 design include an increase in speed from 23 to 28 knots (43 to 52 km/h; 26 to 32 mph), fixed-pitch rather than variable-pitch propellers, stern launch capability, and watertight bulkheads.[14]

Margaret Norvell has an overall length of 153 feet 6 inches (46.79 m), a beam of 25 feet (7.6 m), and a displacement of 325 long tons (330 t; 364 short tons). Her draft is 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) and she has a maximum speed of over 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). The Sentinel-class cutters have an endurance of five days and a range of 2,950 nautical miles (3,390 mi; 5,460 km).[11]

Operational history

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In October 2013, while her crew were undergoing training in Key West, Margaret Norvell intercepted two individuals who were using jet-skis, out in the Gulf Stream, whose craft was equipped with GPS navigation devices, extra water and extra fuel.[15] The operators were stopped after a 45-minute chase, and were charged with "failure to heave to." The men were first seen heading south, and it was believed they were headed towards Cuba.

On December 6, 2015, the barge Columbia Elizabeth was proceeding to Puerto Rico with a cargo of shipping containers, when crew members noticed some were missing.[16] She was diverted to the Port of Palm Beach where it was determined 25 shipping containers were missing. Margaret Norvell, and other elements of the Coast Guard, were assigned to look for the missing containers.[17]

In January 2019, the Margaret Norvell was deployed to Puerto Rico for Operation Unified Resolve. During this deployment, the cutter interdicted $3 million worth of cocaine and apprehended 4 suspected smugglers.[18][19]

From August to October, the Margaret Norvell conducted a 55-day patrol throughout the Southeastern United States. As Hurricane Dorian approached in late August and early September 2019, Margaret Norvell and other cutters pre-staged in Key West for post-storm operations.[20] Once the storm had passed, the Margaret Norvell conducted Task Force-Southeastern United States (TF-SEUS) offshore SAR and port security operations under the tactical control of USCGC Dauntless.[21] On September 29, 2019, the Margaret Norvell assisted the Motor Yacht Viking Lady, disabled and adrift 39 nautical miles north of Freeport, Bahamas. While towing the Viking Lady to commercial salvage near Fort Lauderdale, the seas began to increase due to the effects of Hurricane Lorenzo.[22] After sunset, one of the Viking Lady crew members fell overboard due to the seas, and a small boat crew from Margaret Norvell rescued the person in the water. After transferring the vessel to commercial salvage, the Margaret Norvell received two Haitian migrants for transfer to the Bahamian Immigration Department.[23] The next day, the Margaret Norvell assisted a Bahamian-flagged fishing vessel that was adrift south of Bimini. They towed the vessel near Bimini and transferred the tow to the Royal Bahamas Defense Force.

In November 2019, the Margaret Norvell and Kathleen Moore deployed in support of Commander, US Navy FOURTH Fleet for Operation Enduring Promise 2019. The two cutters provided waterborne force protection during the US Naval Hospital Ship Comfort's medical mission to Haiti.[24][25] Later that month, Margaret Norvell and HMBS Cascarilla apprehended the F/V Gerchard II, a Dominican-flagged vessel illegally fishing in Bahamian waters with an estimated $250,000 of catch on board.[26][27]

 
The USCGC Margaret Norvell (WPC 1105) and USCGC Kathleen Moore (WPC 1109) escort the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) into Port-au-Prince, Haiti for Operation Enduring Promise 2019.

Namesake

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The vessel is named after Margaret Norvell, who served as a lighthouse keeper for the United States Lighthouse Service from 1891 to 1932.[28][29][30][31]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Acquisition Update: Fifth Fast Response Cutter Delivered to the Coast Guard" (Press release). United States Coast Guard. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  2. ^ a b "Commissioning ceremony for Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell". Coast Guard News. 2013-06-01. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  3. ^ "Fast Response Cutter: 154-foot Sentinel class". Coast Guard Outlook. 2012. p. 172. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06.
  4. ^ Rhonda Carpenter (2012-11-05). "Coast Guard Commissions Third Fast Response Cutter, William Flores". Defense Media Network. Archived from the original on 2013-03-24. The first six FRCs for District 7 will be homeported in Miami; the next six in Key West; and the remaining six in Puerto Rico.
  5. ^ "Current U.S. and Canadian Shipbuilding Contracts". Marine Log. 2012-12-28. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16.
  6. ^ "Bollinger Delivers the CGC Margaret Norvell the Fifth Fast Response Cutter to the USCG". Maritime Executive. 2013-03-26. Archived from the original on 2022-06-08. The Coast Guard took delivery March 21, 2013 in Key West, Florida and is scheduled to commission the vessel in New Orleans, Louisiana in June, 2013.
  7. ^ "Bollinger delivers fifth fast response cutter to the US Coast Guard". The Republic. 2013-03-26. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Monday's announcement by Chris Bollinger, executive vice president of new construction, says the Margaret Norvell was delivered last week to the 7th Coast Guard District in Key West, Florida, and will be stationed at USCG Sector Miami. It will be commissioned in New Orleans in June.
  8. ^ "Bollinger Deliver Fifth Fast Response Cutter". Marine Link. 2013-03-25. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. The 154 foot patrol craft 'Margaret Norvell' is the fifth vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger Shipyards used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708.
  9. ^ "Commissioning ceremony for Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell". Coast Guard News. 2013-05-30. Archived from the original on 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  10. ^ Adam Linhardt (2013-04-03). "Newest, fastest cutters on the way: All 58 ships will pass through Key West, Coast Guard says". Key West: Key News. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. The Miami-bound Margaret Norvell is in Key West right now being outfitted, Hagwood said.
  11. ^ a b "Fast Response Cutter" (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Short Range Prosecutor (SRP)". Integrated Deepwater System Program. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  13. ^ Releases, DP Press (2018-03-01). "U.S. Coast Guard Orders Six Over-The-Horizon Cutter Boats". DefPost. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  14. ^ "Bollinger awarded potential $1.5 billion FRC contract". Marine Log. 2009-09-26. Archived from the original on 2010-01-04.
  15. ^ Adam Linhardt (2013-10-14). "Men on jet skis charged: Both stopped after 45 minute chase". Key News. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. They were stopped by the new fast-response cutter Margaret Norvell that is typically based in Miami, but has been in Key West training as the new ships continue to come online throughout the Coast Guard fleet in South Florida as well as nationwide.
  16. ^ "Coast Guard Responds To Overboard Cargo Containers". CBS News. 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  17. ^ "COAST GUARD RESPONDING TO CARGO CONTAINER INCIDENT". United States Coast Guard News. 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  18. ^ Goodhue, David (2019-01-31). "Miami-based Coast Guard crew stops 200-pound cocaine haul off Puerto Rico". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  19. ^ "Coast Guard, DEA, Caribbean Border Interagency Group Partners Apprehend Smugglers, Cocaine – Homeland Security Today". www.hstoday.us. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  20. ^ "Florida-Based Coast Guard Cutters Pre-stage in Key West for Hurricane Dorian Response Efforts in Caribbean |". spacecoastdaily.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  21. ^ "Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless Returns Home After 47-Day Patrol – Homeland Security Today". www.hstoday.us. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  22. ^ McCloud, Cheryl. "Hurricane Lorenzo brings potential of coastal flooding, beach erosion to Space Coast". Florida Today. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  23. ^ "PHOTO RELEASE: Coast Guard interdicts 13 migrants, suspected smuggler 25 miles east of Miami". U.S. Coast Guard. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  24. ^ "USNS Comfort deployed". www.navyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  25. ^ "Coast Guard, Navy working together during USNS Comfort Deployment 2019 | Coast Guard News". coastguardnews.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  26. ^ "thebahamasweekly.com - Dominican Poachers apprehended in Joint Operation". www.thebahamasweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  27. ^ "RBDF arrests Dominican poachers with huge catch". www.tribune242.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  28. ^ Connie Braesch (2010-11-01). "Coast Guard Heroes: Margaret Norvell". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2013-01-03. As a member of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, she first served at the Head of Passes Light as an assistant keeper from 1891 to 1896. Her leadership did not go unnoticed and after Head of Passes she was appointed keeper of both the Port Pontchartrain Light from 1896 to 1924 and the West End Light where she served from 1924 to 1932.
  29. ^ Stephanie Young (2010-10-27). "Coast Guard Heroes". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  30. ^ Marilyn Turk (2011-09-30). "It's my job". Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Thus Margaret Norvell became a lighthouse keeper in 1891. In 1896, she was reassigned to be the keeper of the Port Pontchartrain Light Station on Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana at the treacherous mouth of the Mississippi River. And for the next 36 years, she handled the job of keeper and was credited with rescuing many shipwrecked sailors.
  31. ^ Mary Louise Clifford, J. Candace Clifford (2001). Women who kept the lights: an illustrated history of female lighthouse keepers. Cypress Communications. ISBN 9780963641250. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
 
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