Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008

PASCAGOULA -- The U.S. Coast Guard accepted delivery of the first Northrop Grumman Corp. National Security Cutter, Bertholf (WMSL 750), at a ceremony Thursday in Pascagoula.

The acceptance ceremony marks the transfer of ownership from industry to government and the start of the 122-sailor crew's operational time on board the new ship.

The ship was only 25 percent complete in the wake of Katrina.

The ship was built through the Deepwater Program under contract from Integrated Coast Guard Systems, a joint venture of Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin.

A formal commissioning ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 4 in Alameda, Calif.

The 418-foot Bertholf is the lead ship in the new Legend-class of cutters designed to be the flagship of the U.S. Coast Guard's modern fleet.

"Wherever the Bertholf sails she will carry the Northrop Grumman stamp of success with her," said Richard Schenk, vice president for the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding U.S. Coast Guard Program.

"The shipbuilders here are like a family and this is a proud, proud day for us. We started building the cutter in the summer of 2004 and it is the first ship under construction for us after the storm," he said.

The crew of the Bertholf will sail away from the Pascagoula port June 15 for 22 months of crew training, operational maneuvers, weapons training and navigational testing to achieve a full operational deployment with the fleet.

They will initially sail to Florida and around the East Coast then on to the Panama Canal and California.

"My crew and I are excited to move aboard and begin readying this impressive cutter for sea," said Capt. Patrick Stadt, the Bertholf's newly appointed commanding officer.

"Bertholf will bring tremendous capabilities to the Coast Guard and we look forward to our role and joining the fleet," he said.

Northrop Grumman shipbuilding supervisors, representatives from Lockheed Martin, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Senator Roger Wicker's office, and Rear Adm. Gary Blore also attended the ceremony.

"We are grateful to the hundreds of dedicated Coast Guard personnel and employees, and our Navy partners who worked so hard to accomplish this milestone," said Blore.

The Bertholf is the first of eight national security cutters planned to be built by the Coast Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard crew stands ready to accept delivery of the first National Security Cutter, Bertholf (WMSL 750). They will move aboard Bertholf and place the cutter "In Commission Special" status and will undergo crew training to move the ship into full operational deployment with the fleet.