US Coast Guard commissions sixth Arctic District fast response cutter

February 16, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

The US Coast Guard has commissioned its newest and sixth Arctic District fast response cutter (FRC), USCGC Frederick Mann (WPC 1160).

The official entry into the service fleet happened during a ceremony held in Kodiak on February 13, 2026. The ceremony was presided over by Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Arctic District.

The vessel is the coast guard’s 60th FRC and the third to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak. The crew of the USCGC Frederick Mann will primarily serve in and around the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and North Pacific Ocean.

The cutter is designed for missions such as search and rescue, fishery patrols,  drug and migrant interdiction, national defense, and ports, waterways, and coastal security. The ship is named after Chief Warrant Officer Frederick Mann, who was awarded the Gold Life Saving Medal and also received the Silver Star medal and the Presidential Unit Citation. 

The US Coast Guard has ordered a series of new FRCs to replace the 1980s-era Island-class patrol boats.

The legislation provides nearly $25 billion, the largest single funding commitment in Coast Guard history, including $1 billion dollars for additional FRCs.

This commissioning follows the commissioning of USCGC Storis (WAGB 21) in August, which is the Coast Guard’s first polar ice breaker acquisition in over 25 years.

US Coast Guard’s cutter Storis kicks off maiden voyage

Operations

The Arctic District is scheduled to acquire two new offshore patrol cutters in the near future.

The FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, and over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment, enhancing the coast guard’s operations to control, secure, and defend the US border and maritime approaches.

These new assets and capabilities continue the Coast Guard’s modernization through Force Design 2028, an initiative introduced by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to transform the Coast Guard into a more agile, capable and responsive fighting force.