US military shipbuilder Ingalls Shipbuilding, part of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), has started the fabrication of Legend-class national security cutter Friedman (NSC 11).
This means that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut.
The Legend-class NSC is described by HII as the most technologically advanced ship in the U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet. It enables the fleet to meet the high demands required for maritime and homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection, and national defense missions.
NSCs are 418 feet (127 metres) long with a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles (19 300 kilometres), an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120.
Friedman (NSC 11) is named after Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a code breaker who worked against German espionage communications and developed information that was critical to counterintelligence work in the Southern Hemisphere during World War II.