×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
NAVAL WARFARE INDEX
MODERN FLEETS
WARSHIPS BY COUNTRY
SHIPBUILDERS
COMPARE WARSHIPS
SHIPS BY CONFLICT
SHIPS BY TYPE
SHIPS BY DECADE
SHIPS BY CLASS
MODERN VESSELS
Naval Warfare

Legend (class)


Coast Guard Cutter / Patrol Vessel [ 2008 ]



Up to eleven National Security Cutters are planned for the Untied States Coast Guard with seven already having achieved active service.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/25/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
In the latter stages of the Cold War period (1947-1991), the United States Coast Guard (USCG) made a decided move to update nearly all of its at-sea, over-water assets with procurement set to cover a wide range of maritime-minded aircraft, ships and the like. The program was named the "Integrated Deepwater System Program" and was to involve (but not limited to) acquisition of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4A "Global Hawk" UAV, CASA CN-235 and Lockheed C-130 high-winged transports, and an all-new family of cutter vessels such as the National Security Cutter (NSC), the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) and the Fast Response Cutter (FRC). However, the decades-long initiative eventually lost support, in turn, its funding in 2012.

Some assets were obtained such as the aforementioned NSC ships - known as the "Legend-class". Eleven are planned for the USCG and six have seen active service, one undergoing sea trials, two under construction and two more on order. The class represents the largest and most advanced fighting ships of the USCG and these have been used to succeed the outgoing Hamilton-class ships of 1960s origin. The newer ship class are constructed by Ingalls Shipbuilding.

Such warships are used to enforce United States maritime territorial areas and, as such, USCG elements typically are used for trafficking interception (migrant, drugs, etc...), general law enforcement, deterrence, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, Search and Rescue (SAR), counter-terrorism, fisheries enforcement, environmental support and will also operate under the direction of the United States Navy when needed.

Legend-class ships certainly look the part of military patrol vessel. These ships are sleek with "stealthy" slab-sides and overall low profiles. The forecastle is home to a turreted main gun in the "A" position while the bridge sits high above this emplacement with commanding views of the ocean ahead. The hull superstructure integrates the bridge section, main mast, smoke funnel and aft- hull section / hanger.

Over the stern is seated a single-helicopter helipad supporting the USCG's Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) MH-65C "Dolphin" MCH navalized helicopter system. Up to two medium-lift helicopters can be carried with use of the hangar for storage however. Additionally there is support for up to 2 x (vertically-launched) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs). The onboard hangar provides full-service facilities for the rotary-wing aircraft. Up to three Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) are stowed and launched from the stern area for fast interception and these encompass two distinct designs, the 35-foot CB-LRI-II and the 26-foot CB-OTH-IV.©MilitaryFactory.com
Onboard is a crew of 122 and the vessel can support as many as 148. Food and fuel allow the warship to be on station for up to 60 days. The Legend-class is equipped with all-modern sensors and processing systems including the EADS 3D TRS-16 series AN/SPS-75 air-search radar, the AN/SPS-73 surface-search radar and the SPQ-9B fire control radar system. The AN/SLQ-32(V)2 serves in the Electronic Warfare (EW) role and 2 x SRBOC and 2 x NULKA launchers are used in the chaff decoy role.

Armament includes a single 57mm Mk 110 turreted deck gun (the same as featured in the USN's Littoral Combat Ships) over the forecastle and 1 x 20mm Phalanx Block 1B Baseline 2 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS). Up to 4 x 12.7mm M2 Browning heavy machine guns are also installed as are 2 x 7.62mm M240 medium machine guns for extreme close-in work. All this is in addition to any personal weapons also carried by the crew.

The 4,500 tons (long) ships measure 418 feet long and have a beam of 54 feet and draughts down to 22.5 feet. A COmbined Diesel-and-Gas (CODAG) arrangement is used for propulsion involving 2 x MTU 20V 1163 series marine diesels of 9,900 horsepower mated to 1 x LM2500 gas turbine of 30,000 horsepower output. All told, the vessels can achieve ocean-going speeds of 28 knots and improved seakeeping helps them maintain balance in rough seas when far from shore and better endurance means more time on station. Onboard systems allow for full interoperability with existing United States Navy systems and sub-systems.

The ships-of-the-class currently (2018) include USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750), UCGC Warsche (WMSL-751), USCGC Stratton (WMSL-752), USCGC Hamilton (WMSL-753), USCGC James (WMSL-754), USCGC Munro (WMSL-755), USCGC Kimball (WMSL-756), USCGC Midgett (WMSL-757), USCGC Stone (WMSL-758) and two unnamed vessels (WMSL-759 and WMSL-760). Bertholf, Waesche, Stratton, Hamilton, James and Munro are all in active service. Kimball is undergoing its requisite sea trials. Midgett and Stone are under construction as of 2018.

The family began commissioning in August of 2008 (with Bertholf) with the latest addition being Munro, adopted in April of 2017.
©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



United States
Operators National flag of the United States
2008
Commissioned
United States
National Origin
Commissioned, Active
Project Status
122
Complement
Legend-class / National Security Cutter (NSC)
Hull Class
11
Number-in-Class
USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750); USCGC Waesche (WMSL-751); USCGC Stratton (WMSL-752); USCGC Hamilton (WMSL-753); USCGC James (WMSL-754); USCGC Munro (WMSL-755); USCGC Kimball (WMSL-756); USCGC Midgett (WMSL-757); USCGC Stone (WMSL-758); Unnamed Ship (WMSL-759); Unnamed Ship (WMSL-760)
Ships-in-Class


Offshore Operation
Activities conducted near shorelines in support of allied activities.


418.0 feet
(127.41 meters)
Length
54.0 feet
(16.46 meters)
Beam
22.5 feet
(6.86 meters)
Draught
4,600
tons
Displacement (Submerged)


COmbined Diesel-and-Gas (CODAG): 2 x MTU 20V 1163 series diesel engines developing 9,900 horsepower with 1 x LM2500 gas turbine developing 30,000 horsepower; 2 x Shafts.
Propulsion
28.0 knots
(32.2 mph)
Surface Speed
1,217 nm
(1,400 miles | 2,253 km)
Range
1 knot = 1.15 mph; 1 nm = 1.15 mile; 1 nm = 1.85 km


1 x 57mm Mk 110 turreted deck gun in "A" position.
1 x 20mm Phalanx Block 1B Baseline 2 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS).
4 x 12.7mm M2 Browning heavy machine guns.
2 x 7.62mm M240B medium machine guns.


1 OR 2 x Medium-lift navy helicopters.
2 x Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), vertically-launched.


Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period
Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Images



1 / 1
Image of the Legend (class)
Image from the United States Coast Guard service.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)