The Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9) website has been busy lately.
They are reporting the award of a contract for the first 38 of what may ultimately be 500 “Response Boat, Small,” and award of a contract for eleven more “Response Boat, Medium.”
They also report on work on the helicopter haul down and traversing system to be used on NSC with the H-65.
They have also issued their new newsletter. This month it discusses CG infrastructure improvements, and Master Chief Ayer answers, “I don’t understand why the new Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) has to be so big. If it is replacing the Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC), why is it as big as a High Endurance Cutter (WHEC)?”: Read the newsletter (pdf)>>
(Think I’ll ask MCPO Ayers why we aren’t using the Navy’s helicopter haul down and traversing system.)
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Not to get off the subject here. What is the status of the USCGC Webber?
Webber should be getting sea trials in the next few weeks. If all goes well she will then be handed over to the CG.
Contract delivery date is 30 Jan. To be delivered in Miami.
The CG crew is already at Bollinger and becoming familiar with the vessel.
Robert,
To supplement Chuck’s report on the status of Webber.
Webber and Eldrige have been launched and the third cutter is planned for launch the end of this month. Builder’s trials for WEBBER are scheduled to start the end of this month but that assumes that nothing goes wrong which is very optimistic for the first of a class. Two weeks are planned for BT followed by a two week holding pattern for a dry docking and then two more weeks for Acceptance Trials. BT and AT should take about a week but the schedule has two weeks in it, again to be conservative.
After AT the crew will get three days of underway training. Then Bollinger will correct any trial cards and any problems discovered on trials. After that the cutter will transit to Miami using a Bollinger crew .
The most opitimistic delivery date is 9 January but all the heavens would have to be in perfect alignment for that to happen. The contract delivery date is 30 January and Bollinger intends to everything possible to make that date or to be early.
Generator Light-off will occur this afternoon on Bernard C Webber and this will be the first time she makes any smoke. The official incline is scheduled for this coming Saturday.
As Chuck said the crew is in Lockport and has been undergoing Familiarization Training both on the cutter and in the class room at Chand Corporation. While there are some first of class issues overall the reports have been positive.
The Crew of WEBBER is extremely dedicated and using every oppurtunity to learn the cutter and its capabiliites. They are a very cohesive group and excellent representatives of the Coast Guard. BZ
I hope this is responsive to your question. More to follow as events occur.
Thanks, TR.
I wonder why a Master Chief is the one to give the answer. One would think that answer would come from higher up the food chain.
We all know where the real power is.
I was exploiting the invitation to ask questions of the Master Chief that is in every CG-9 newsletter.
How about some photos of this new RB-S? I searched far and wide, across Portal, CGVI and the web and came up with one (used in the announcement).