TSAMTO, August 4. The Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries has announced the laying of the keel of a large multi-purpose patrol ship (National Security Cutter – NSC) (WMSL-759) "Calhoun" of the Legend class, intended for the US Coast Guard.
(WMSL-759) "Calhoun" will be the 10th ship of the "Legend" class. Steel cutting for the construction of the ship began in November 2019. Initially, the laying of the ship's keel was planned for 2020, but the schedule was adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to TSAMTO, the Legend-class ship is designed to ensure national security, protect territorial waters, counter drug trafficking and smuggling, protect fisheries and the environment, protect law and order at sea, conduct search and rescue operations, and provide assistance to those in distress.
The laying of the lead ship of the class, "Bertolf" (WMSL-750), took place in 2004. The ship was adopted by the US Coast Guard in August 2008. On November 9, 2020, Huntington Ingalls Industries handed over the ninth ship of the series to the US Coast Guard, (WMSL-758) "Stone". Two ships are under construction.
As part of the Deepwater program, eight modern multi-purpose large patrol ships were originally planned to be built to replace 12 outdated Hamilton-class boats that have been in operation since the 1960s, but 11 ships have already been ordered at the moment. Contracts for the construction of the 10th and 11th ships of the Huntington Ingalls Industries series and the US Coast Guard Command signed in December 2018. The construction of the 11th ship, (WMSL-760) "Friedman", began in May 2021.
The length of the Legend-class ship is 126.6 m, the total displacement is 4600 tons. The vessel is equipped with a combined diesel-gas turbine power plant and develops a maximum speed of up to 28 knots. The cruising range is 12 thousand nautical miles, the autonomy is 60 days. The ship's crew is 120 people. The vessel is equipped with a flight deck designed to receive helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles with vertical takeoff and landing. In the aft part of the ship there are 2 inflatable speedboats.
