“The Coast Guard currently operates 55 FRCs throughout the United States and in support of U.S. Central Command. U.S. Coast Guard graphic.”
The graphic above was part of the Acquisition Directorate’s announcement of the exercise of a contract option for two more FRCs, numbers 66 and 67.
It specifically lays down the locations of 49 FRCs as currently assigned to Coast Guard Districts. This has prompted me to speculate on where the remaining cutters will be going.
It is a good graphic, but some might not recognize Puerto Rico (7) and Guam (3) which have been lumped together below Texas. There is also an issue with the number of ships assigned to Mississippi, in that one of the two (Benjamin B. Dailey WPC-1123) is no longer active having suffered a catastrophic fire. It has been placed in storage and may never be repaired.
As noted in the graphic, six are also assigned to PATFORSWA, homeported in Bahrain and attached to 5th Fleet.
Of the remaining 12 cutters, we know two (1156 and 1157) will go to D13 at Astoria, and two (1158 and 1159) will go to D17 at Kodiak. Another is expected to go to Seward, AK. I happen to run across information that USCGC MARVIN PERRETT (WPC-1164) will be going to Base Long Beach. That leaves us with six FRCs where I was unable to identify future homeports.
If you look at how many are assigned to each district, patterns seem to emerge. It seems they are being based in groups of three, allowing at least one of the three to be underway almost all the time. Also, six is the most common number assigned to a district, just as six are assigned to PATFORSWA. This would make some sense in that it would allow the district to generally keep two units underway at all times.
There are no Fast Response Cutters assigned to District 9 (Great Lakes), but they do have six Bay class 140-foot icebreaking tugs which can function as patrol vessels.
The future laydown as currently identified is as follows:
- D1: six in Boston. Total 6
- D5: three in Cape May, NJ and two in Atlantic Beach, NC. Total 5
- D7: one in St. Pete, six in Miami, six in Key West, and seven in San Juan, PR. Total 20
- D8: one in Pascagoula, MS and three in Galveston. Total 4
- D11: five in Long Beach (San Pedro). Total 5
- D13: two in Astoria, OR. Total 2
- D14: three in Honolulu and three in Guam. Total 6
- D17: three in Ketchikan and two in Kodiak. Seward is also identified as a future homeport. Total 6
- PATFORSWA: Total 6
That is a total of 60 FRCs in nine groupings of which four have or are projected to have 6 FRCs. That leaves six additional FRCs to be distributed plus any future additional FRCs. My guesses would be.
- D5: one more in Atlantic Beach, NC for total 6
- D8: two more in Pascagoula, MS for total 6
- D11: one more in Long Beach, CA for total 6
- D13: one more in Astoria, OR for total 3
- D14: three more somewhere for total 9
That would require only two more FRCs to be funded in the future.
If you look at the projections, including a total of nine in D14, that suggests 38 in LANTAREA and only 24 in PACAREA, despite the fact that about 84% of the US EEZ is in PACAREA.
There is probably ample justification for an additional three in D14, to bring them up to a total of 12. D14 includes about 43% of the entire US EEZ and also includes the three Compact of Free Association nations with a combined EEZ about half that of the entire US EEZ. D14 vessels are also likely to spend much more time in transit to patrol areas and maintenance facilities so they are likely to need at least one spare cutter to add to the rotation.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
IMO, I think one FRC should be kept at USCG Academy for the reserves and also allow Cadets hands-on training in patrols and operations under the watch of the reserves. Also, an FRC would be great for American Samoa
At a time that we are closing stations and cutting back on the services to the American Taxpayers – why are six Taxpayer funded ships homeported in Bahrain?
Not like this is new. The Coast Guard has been there since the Second Gulf War. The total number of cutters is actually increasing.
Not sure if it is still that way, but PATFORSWA was paid for out of DOD funds.
The Benjamin Dailey has already gone to All Star Metals in Brownsville for recycling this year.
Which pocket it comes out of doesn’t matter its the taxpayers money being used for the mideast instead of here in the U.S. The “ not new” arguement doesn’t fly. We used to man lighthouses also ( we always did it this way). I realize we have to chase issues for budgetary reasons – we are letting our claims on arctic waters languish. 1 heavy icebreaker and 1 medium for all arctic and antarctic, six frc’s for mideast i dont see this as responsible allocation of resorces and personnel.
@Tom Hogan, Then, you should be happy to know that there are now far fewer patrol craft in Bahrain than there used to be. Not long ago in addition to six cutters there were ten Cyclone class patrol craft and for a short period a number of Navy 85 foot MkVI patrol boats. Only six cutters are there now.
Meanwhile there is strong bipartisan support for more icebreakers. At least the first two new Polar Security Cutters are already funded, but we did wait much too long to start the process and it is going to be years before we the first one is commissioned. We should have started the replacement process not later than 2006 during the George W. Bush administration or earlier.
Other than six FRCs in Bahrain we will soon have 60 FRCs patrolling US waters. We have 50 now. We never had more than 49 WPB 110s and six of them were in Bahrain.
I was not saying we should have cutters in Bahrain because we always, I was saying that it was not a decision made by the current leadership. That this decision has been left standing by repeated administrations and supported though decades of Congressional oversight.
News Release
Coast Guard commissions second Pacific Northwest-based Fast Response Cutter > United States Coast Guard News > Press Releases
Oct. 24, 2024Coast Guard commissions second Pacific Northwest-based Fast Response Cutter
SEATTLE — The Coast Guard commissioned its 57th Fast Response Cutter during a ceremony held at Coast Guard Base Seattle, Thursday.
Coast Guard Cutter Florence Finch (WPC-1157) is the second of three planned Fast Response Cutter’s (FRC) to be homeported in Astoria.
The ceremony was presided by Coast Guard Rear. Adm. Charles Fosse, 13th District Commander. Members of the Finch family were also in attendance, including the cutter’s sponsor and Mrs. Finch’s daughter, Mrs. Betty Murphy.
The cutters namesake, Florence Ebersole Smith Finch, was a Filipino-American and a member of the World War II resistance against the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. During the war, she assisted the movement by diverting fuel destined for enemy use, falsifying documents for resistance members to obtain supplies, and using her position to facilitate acts of sabotage. In 1944, she was discovered and arrested, tortured, tried, and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. She remained in captivity until early 1945, when American forces liberated the Philippines.
Finch moved back to America following the war and joined the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves. Finch was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1947 and was also awarded the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Ribbon, the first woman to be so decorated.
During the ceremony, Florence Finch was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which was presented to Finch’s family by retired Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP). The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award given by the United States Congress.
“Florence Finch is a true Coast Guard and Filipino hero, and we couldn’t be prouder to honor her legacy,” said Coast Guard Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, Pacific Area Commander. “The cutter is now the only currently active ship in the United States military named after a Filipino-American.”
The crew of the Florence Finch will primarily operate in the Pacific Ocean, Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Columbia River. The Sentinel-class FRC is designed for multiple missions, including search and rescue; fishery patrols; drug and migrant interdiction; ports, waterways and coastal security; and national defense.
The Coast Guard has ordered a total of 67 FRCs to replace the 1980s-era Island-class 110-foot patrol boats. The FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment to reach vessels of interest; and improved habitability and seakeeping.
The commissioning ceremony is one of the most important traditional milestones in the life of a cutter, as it represents the readiness of the cutter to conduct Coast Guard operations and marks her entry into active service.
For more information on Florence Finch, please visit the Coast Guard history website: Florence Ebersole Smith Finch, USCGR > United States Coast Guard > All
Coast Guard commissions 58th fast response cutter, first for Kodiak
April 22, 2025 —
Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon at its homeport in Kodiak, Alaska, during its commissioning on April 3, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
The Coast Guard commissioned Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon on April 3 in Kodiak, Alaska. John Witherspoon is the 58th fast response cutter (FRC) and the first of three FRCs scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak.
Rear. Adm. Megan Dean, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, presided over the ceremony; members of the Witherspoon family were also in attendance, including the cutter’s sponsor, Regina Nash, the daughter of cutter namesake John Witherspoon.
Witherspoon became the first Black man to command a Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. When he assumed command of Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Services – Houston/Galveston, he became the first Black man to command afloat and ashore units. A well-respected, compassionate and admired leader, Witherspoon served as a popular mentor to an army of “teaspoons,” an affectionate term for those who sought sage counsel from him about advancing their Coast Guard careers.
During his service, Witherspoon received the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals and the NAACP Roy Wilkins Renown Service Award.
In honor of his service and guidance to many, the Coast Guard established the Captain John G. Witherspoon Inspirational Leadership Award after his passing, which is given to officers who demonstrate his qualities of “honor, respect and devotion to duty.”
FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment to reach vessels of interest; and improved habitability and seakeeping. They perform a multitude of missions that include drug and alien interdictions, joint international operations and national defense of ports, waterways and coastal areas.
Fifty-eight of 67 FRCs that have been ordered are in service: 13 in Florida; seven in Puerto Rico; six each in Bahrain and Massachusetts; four each in California and Alaska; three each in Guam, Hawaii, Texas and New Jersey; and two each in Mississippi, North Carolina and Oregon.
For more information: Fast Response Cutter Program page