USCGC Raymond Evans is the tenth vessel in the United States Coast Guard's Sentinel-classcutter.[3][4]
All the vessels are named after members of the Coast Guard, or its precursor services, who are remembered for their heroism.
Names had already been assigned for the first fourteen vessels, when CommanderRaymond Evans died, and the USCG Commandant announced that the next Sentinel class cutter would be named after him. Joseph Napier, who was originally scheduled to be the namesake of the tenth vessel, had his name moved to the beginning of the second list of heroes names, and will now be the namesake of the fifteenth vessel.
The vessel was delivered to the Coast Guard, for pre-commissioning trials, on June 25, 2014.[1][3][4]
On August 20, 2014, an open house was held to allow residents of Key West, Florida to tour the vessel.[5]
The vessel was commissioned on September 6, 2014.[2][6][7][8]
Design
The Sentinel-classcutters were designed to replace the shorter 110-foot (34 m) Island-classpatrol boats.[9]Raymond Evans is equipped with a remote-control 25 mm Bushmaster autocannon and four, crew-served M2HB .50-caliber machine guns. It has a bow thruster for maneuvering in crowded anchorages and channels. It also has small underwater fins for coping with the rolling and pitching caused by large waves. It is equipped with a stern launching ramp, like the Marine Protector-class and the eight failed expanded Island-class cutters. It has a complement of twenty-two crew members. Like the Marine Protector class, and the cancelled extended Island-class cutters, the Sentinel-class cutters deploy the Short Range ProsecutorRigid-hulled inflatable (SRP or RHIB) in rescues and interceptions.[10]
According to Marine Log, modifications to the Coast Guard vessels from the Stan 4708 design include an increase in speed from 23 to 28 knots (43 to 52 km/h; 26 to 32 mph), fixed-pitch rather than variable-pitch propellers, stern launch capability, and watertight bulkheads.[11]
Raymond Evans has an overall length of 153 feet 6 inches (46.79 m), a beam of 25 feet (7.6 m), and a displacement of 325 long tons (330 t; 364 short tons). Its draft is 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) and it has a maximum speed of over 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). The Sentinel-class cutters have an endurance of five days and a range of 2,950 nautical miles (3,390 mi; 5,460 km).[9]
Career
In early January, while operating off the coast of Guyana with USCGC Stone (WMSL-758), Raymond Evansboarded a suspected narcotics trafficking vessel. After testing the packages found on board, 970 kilograms of cocaine were recovered and the suspected traffickers were detained.[12]
^ ab"Bollinger Delivers 10th Coast Guard FRC". Maritime Executive. 2014-06-25. Archived from the original on 2014-06-26. Retrieved 2014-06-25. The Coast Guard took delivery on June 25, 2014 in Key West, Florida and is scheduled to commission the vessel in Key West, Florida during September, 2014.
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Adam Linhardt (2014-08-18). "Coast Guard: Free tours of new cutter". Key West, Florida: Florida Keys News. Archived from the original on 2014-08-20. The Coast Guard will offer free tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and on Monday of its newest Sentinel class Fast Response Cutter. the Raymond Evans -- named after the late Coast Guard Cmdr. Raymond J. Evans -- is the fourth FRC to arrive in the Southernmost City.
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Nancy Klingener (2014-08-26). "New Coast Guard Ship Honors WWII Hero In Key West". WLRN. Archived from the original on 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2014-08-27. A World War II hero will be honored when the Coast Guard's newest cutter is commissioned into service in Key West on Sept. 6.
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Adam Linhardt (2014-09-06). "Newest Key West cutter enters service". Key West, Florida: Key West Citizen. Archived from the original on 2014-11-27. Coast Guard Sector Key West officially becomes home today for the 154-foot Cutter Raymond J. Evans. The Raymond J. Evans will be commissioned as it becomes the fourth of six new Fast Response Cutters that will be stationed in the Southernmost City.