USCGC Oliver Henry
 Oliver Henry shortly after arriving in Cairns, Australia
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USCGC Oliver Henry |
| Namesake | William C. Hart |
| Operator | United States Coast Guard |
| Builder | Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana[1] |
| Acquired | December 1, 2020[2] |
| Commissioned | July 2021[3] |
| Homeport | Santa Rita, Guam |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in active service |
| Badge | _CoA.jpg) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Sentinel-class cutter |
| Displacement | 353 long tons (359 t) |
| Length | 46.8 m (154 ft) |
| Beam | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Depth | 2.9 m (9.5 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range | 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) |
| Endurance | 5 days |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 1 × Short Range Prosecutor RHIB |
| Complement | 4 officers, 20 crew |
| Sensors and processing systems | L-3 C4ISR suite |
| Armament |
|
USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC-1140) is the 40th Sentinel-class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard. She is the second of three Fast Response Cutters homeported in Santa Rita, Guam.[2]
Operational History
[edit]Oliver Henry arrived in Santa Rita, Guam after a 10,620 nautical mile journey from Key West, Florida, on September 19, 2022. During her voyage, she also partook in drug interception operations as well as searching for a fishing vessel off of Saipan.[2] Some of Oliver Henry's descendants attended the acceptance ceremony of the ship.[4]
Between August and September 2022, she did an expeditionary patrol around Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Micronesia, patrolling the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of each country. She patrolled for over 8,000 nautical miles between Apia and Cairns, Australia over a period of 43 days. In Papua New Guinea, her crew engaged with local authorities at HMPNGS Tarangau School, in Australia her crew met up with the mayor of Cairns, then took part in a multinational exercise alongside Australian and Fijian vessels. On her way back she made a stop in Pohnpei and hosted American embassy staff.[3]
Between September and October 2023, she partook in Operation Rematau as a part of Operation Blue Pacific, operating a 28-day patrol around Micronesia's EEZ for 4,986 nautical miles. She also delivered supplies to the villages of Chuuk and Yap.[5][6]
Between February 20–27, she took part in a patrol as a part of Operation Blue Pacific around the Marshall Islands, delivering supplies to Wotje Atoll.[7]
On September 2, 2024, she completed another patrol around Micronesia as part of Operation Rematau. During the patrol she rescued six fisherman off of Satawal when their vessel broke down.[8]
Namesake
[edit]Like the other vessels in her class, she is named after an individual in the Coast Guard who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. She is named for Oliver T. Henry Jr., an African American Coast Guardsman who is credited with the process of desegregation of the then segregated service.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Bollinger Delivers USCGC Oliver Henry". July 30, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Guam's Second Fast Response Cutter Arrives in Apra Harbo". U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. December 1, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) Concludes Operation Blue Pacific Expeditionary Patrol". United States Coast Guard. September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
- ^ West, Matthew (August 20, 2020). "Coast Guard Accepts Newest Fast Response Cutter". Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "USCGC Oliver Henry concludes 28-day patrol, strengthening sovereignty and resource security in Blue Pacific". United States Coast Guard. October 17, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
- ^ "USCGC Oliver Henry concludes 28-day patrol, strengthening sovereignty and resource security in Blue Pacific". Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Muir, Sara (March 6, 2024). "USCG conducts combined patrol with Marshallese partners under Operation Blue Pacific". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ "USCGC Oliver Henry crew completes patrol under Operation Rematau". United States Coast Guard. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
