USCGC Richard Dixon

Last updated
The Richard Dixon moored next to smaller cutters, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2015-06-24FRC1113 51510.jpg
Richard Dixon moored next to smaller cutters, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 24 June 2015
History
Flag of the United States Coast Guard.svgUnited States
NameUSCGC Richard Dixon
NamesakeRichard Dixon
Operator United States Coast Guard
Builder Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
CommissionedJune 20, 2015
Homeport San Juan, Puerto Rico
Identification
MottoInitiative & fortitude
Statusin active service
Badge USCGC Richard Dixon (WPC 1113) CoA.jpg
General characteristics
Class and type Sentinel-class cutter
Displacement353 long tons (359  t)
Length153.5 ft (46.8 m)
Beam25.43 ft (7.75 m)
Draft8.46 ft (2.58 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 4,300 kilowatts (5,800 shp)
  • 1 × 75 kilowatts (101 shp) bow thruster
Speed28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Endurance
  • 5 days, 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi)
  • Designed to be on patrol 2,500 hours per year
Boats & landing
craft carried		1 × Short Range Prosecutor RHIB
Complement2 officers, 20 crew
Sensors and
processing systems		L-3 C4ISR suite
Armament

USCGC Richard Dixon is the United States Coast Guard's thirteenth Sentinel-class cutter. She supports multiple Coast Guard missions including port, waterway and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal immigrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense operations. She was launched in 2015 and is assigned to Coast Guard Sector San Juan. The ship arrived in her home port of San Juan, Puerto Rico on June 24, 2015. [1]

Contents

Construction and characteristics

Richard Dixon during her commissioning ceremony in June 2015 Coast Guard commissions Puerto Rico's first fast response cutter in Tampa, Fla. 150620-G-RD053-004.jpg
Richard Dixon during her commissioning ceremony in June 2015

The Coast Guard's Island-class cutters were launched between 1986 and 1992. On 26 September 2008 the Coast Guard awarded a contract to Bollinger Shipyards for the lead ship in the Sentinel class which would replace the aging Island class. [2] This contract included options for an additional 33 ships, including Richard Dixon. [3]

Richard Dixon was built by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana. On 14 April 2015, she was delivered to the Coast Guard at Key West, Florida. [4] Richard Dixon was commissioned at a ceremony in Tampa, Florida on 20 June 2015. It was attended by Virginia Dixon, widow of the ship's namesake. [5]

Richard Dixon is 153.5 feet (46.8 m) long, with a beam of 25.43 feet (7.75 m), and a full-load draft of 8.46 feet (2.58 m). She displaces 353 tons when fully loaded. [6] Her hull is built of welded steel plates, while her superstructure is made of aluminum. [7]

The ship is propelled by two Tier II 20-cylinder mtu 20 V 4000 M93L Diesel engines which produce 5,676 horsepower each. [8] These drive two six-bladed fixed-pitch propellers. This propulsion package gives her a continuous cruising speed of 28 knots. Her fuel tanks hold over 17,000 US gallons (64,000 L) giving Florence Finch an unrefueled range of 2,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. [9] [3] The ship is equipped with a Schottel STT 60K bow thruster. [7]

Electrical power aboard is provided by two main ship-service generators and an emergency generator. The two ship service generators are Cummins QSM-11-DM Diesel engines driving Stanford 317 Kw generators. The emergency unit, which is housed in a separate room, is a Cummins 6BTA5.9-DM Diesel engine driving a Stanford 93 Kw generator. [7]

The ship is equipped with Quantum QC1500 fin stabilizers [10] to reduce rolling. [7] Potable water can be produced from seawater with an onboard desalination plant. Satellite television is available in the crew mess area. [11]

She is armed with a remotely-controlled, gyro-stabilized Mark 38 25 mm autocannon, four crew served M2 Browning machine guns, and light arms. [12]

Richard Dixon, like all the Sentinel-class cutters, is equipped with a stern launching ramp, that allows her to launch and retrieve a rigid inflatable boat without first coming to a stop. Her cutter boat is useful for inspecting other vessels, and deploying boarding parties. It is equipped with an inboard Diesel engine which propels the boat by a jet drive. [13]

Richard Dixon has a crew of 24 men and women. [3] The Sentinel class was designed to accommodate mixed-gender crews, with small staterooms rather than large bunk rooms and individual heads. The captain and executive officer have private staterooms. [14]

Operational career

On September 20, 2015, Richard Dixon intercepted a "go fast" smuggling boat, near the Dominican Republic, intercepting 41 bales of marijuana the smugglers had tried to jettison prior to their capture. [15]

In October 2015 the ship seized two loads of cocaine which weighed approximately 1,340 kilograms (2,950 lb) and were valued at $44.2 million. [16]

Crewmen unload bales of cocaine seized in October 2015 Coast Guard offloads $44.2 million of cocaine interdicted in the Caribbean Sea 151026-G-KA744-003.jpg
Crewmen unload bales of cocaine seized in October 2015

On March 9, 2016, air elements of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency requested Richard Dixon intercept a vessel with 25 refugees from the Dominican Republic. [17] The Coast Guard subjects every refugee to a biometric recording, enabling them to recognize them if they make subsequent attempts to reach the United States. [18] One individual was transferred to the U.S. for possible prosecution, while the other 24 were repatriated.[ citation needed ]

On April 2, 2016, Richard Dixon intercepted another small vessel from the Dominican Republic, carrying 20 refugees. [19] Fourteen of the refugees were transferred to a Dominican naval vessel. [20] Three of the remaining refugees were taken to the United States, for prosecution, because this was not their first attempt to enter the United States. The other three refugees were not Dominicans; they were believed to be from India. They were taken to the U.S. to be repatriated later.[ citation needed ]

On April 25, 2018, Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted Richard Dixon to intercept a suspected vessel while Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch (CAMB) and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action positioned marine units that were also ready to respond. Richard Dixon arrived on scene and interdicted the go-fast, detained the suspected smugglers, a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico and a national of the Dominican Republic and seized multiple bales of contraband, which tested positive for cocaine. Two smugglers, 491.5 kilograms of cocaine and 9.2 kilograms of heroin worth an estimated wholesale value of US$13.3 million were held.[ citation needed ]

On August 9, 2018, Richard Dixon intercepted two yola type vessels from the Dominican Republic carrying a total of 56 refugees. One of the refugees was brought ashore by Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action while the rest were safely repatriated in the Dominican Republic.[ citation needed ]

On December 24, 2018, Richard Dixon intercepted a suspected vessel. She arrived on scene and interdicted the go-fast, detained the suspected smugglers, four citizens of the Dominican Republic and seized multiple bales of contraband, which tested positive for cocaine. 210 kilograms of cocaine were seized worth an estimated wholesale value of US$5 million dollars.[ citation needed ]

On May 13, 2019, Richard Dixon intercepted a yola type vessel from the Dominican Republic carrying a total of 20 refugees. Four of the refugees were brought ashore by Customs and Border Protection while the rest were safely repatriated in the Dominican Republic.[ citation needed ]

Namesake

Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate Richard Dixon, the ship's namesake Skilled and daring lifeboat coxswain Richard Dixon.jpg
Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate Richard Dixon, the ship's namesake

The vessel is named after Richard Dixon, a Coast Guard hero. [21] [22] [23] [24]

Related Research Articles

Sentinel-class cutter United States Coast Guard cutter class

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USCGC <i>Escanaba</i> (WMEC-907)

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Ukrainian patrol vessel <i>Sloviansk</i> Former Island-class patrol boat

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USCGC <i>Bernard C. Webber</i>

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USCGC <i>Richard Etheridge</i>

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USCGC <i>Margaret Norvell</i>

USCGC Margaret Norvell (WPC-1105) is the fifth Sentinel-class cutter, based at Miami, Florida. She was launched on January 13, 2012, and delivered to the Coast Guard on March 21, 2013. She was commissioned on June 1, 2013. She was commissioned at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, near where her namesake, Margaret Norvell, staffed a lighthouse for decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Dixon (USCG)</span>

Richard Dixon was the coxswain of a 44-foot Motor Lifeboat, on the July 4th weekend of 1980, when his skill and daring enabled him to rescue stricken pleasure boat crew off Tillamook Bay, Oregon. During the first incident a 58-foot yacht was in distress in the aftermath of hurricane Celia, and needed to seek sheltered waters, but wave conditions seemed likely to batter it apart if it tried to use the narrow entrance between two stone jetties to enter Tillamook Bay's harbor. Dixon and the coxswain of another motor lifeboat maneuvered beside the yacht, to absorb some of the wave energy as it entered harbor.

USCGC <i>Charles Sexton</i>

USCGC Charles Sexton (WPC-1108) is the eighth Sentinel-class cutter, and the second to be based in Key West, Florida. She was delivered to the United States Coast Guard for a final evaluation and shakedown on December 10, 2013, and the vessel was commissioned on March 8, 2014.

USCGC <i>Kathleen Moore</i> United States Coast Guard vessel

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USCGC <i>Sapelo</i>

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USCGC <i>Heriberto Hernandez</i> Sentinel-class cutter

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USCGC <i>Joseph Napier</i>

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USCGC <i>Winslow Griesser</i>

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USCGC <i>Rollin Fritch</i>

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USCGC <i>Forrest Rednour</i>

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References

  1. ↑ "Bollinger delivers FRC Richard Dixon". Marine Log. 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2016-04-04. Bollinger Shipyards LLC, Lockport, LA, has delivered the Richard Dixon, the thirteenth 154 ft Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard.
  2. ↑ "Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. -- The Company Today 2008". Oakdale Journal. 13 November 2008. p. 7.
  3. 1 2 3 U.S. Coast Guard's Acquisition of the Sentinel Class – Fast Response Cutter (PDF). Department of Homeland Security. 31 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "Bollinger delivers fast response cutter to Coast Guard". Daily Review. 15 April 2015. p. 12.
  5. ↑ "Coast Guard commissions Puerto Rico's first fast response cutter in Tampa, Fla". DVIDS. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  6. ↑ The Cutters, Boats, and Aircraft of the U.S. Coast Guard (PDF). p. 142.
  7. 1 2 3 4 USCGC RICHARD DIXON (WPC-1113); SPECIFICATION FOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS (PDF). 2019.
  8. ↑ "Tognum to provide propulsion system for U.S. patrol boat". www.mtu-solutions.com. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  9. ↑ "USCG Report: Small Cutters Prove They Can Patrol a Big Ocean". MarineLink. 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  10. ↑ Ross, Katie (2020-04-16). "Quantum Marine Stabilizers Celebrates Launch of 43rd Fast-Response Cutter (FRC)". Quantum Marine Stabilizers. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  11. ↑ Urgo, Jaqueline . (19 November 2016). "The spirit of heroism". Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. B02.
  12. ↑ "154-foot Sentinel class". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  13. ↑ Staff, Naval News (2021-04-13). "SAFE Boats lands USCG order for another 20 OTH-IV boats". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  14. ↑ Rosenberg, Carol (10 February 2012). "Bigger, faster cutter ready for Florida's mean straits". Miami Herald. pp. A17.
  15. ↑ "US Coast Guard seized $41M in drugs in Caribbean Sea". Jacksonville Sentinel. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2016-04-04. The agency's cutter Richard Dixon responded and seized the vessel after suspects tossed four packages into the water.
  16. ↑ "BOOTS ON THE GROUND: SAVING SPECIES, SUPPORTING THE MISSION". www.safie.hq.af.mil. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  17. ↑ "DR migrants intercepted heading towards Puerto Rico". The Daily Herald. 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-04-04. The USCG cutter Richard Dixon repatriated 24 migrants to the Dominican Republic.
  18. ↑ "Dominican Republic Migrants Intercepted Heading Towards Puerto Rico". Curaçao Chronicle. 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-04-04. The crew of the USCG Richard Dixon transferred the 25 migrants, who claimed to be citizens of the Dominican Republic, on board the cutter for safety and biometric processing.
  19. ↑ "Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon repatriates 14 Dominicans to the Dominican Republic". San Juan, Puerto Rico: Coast Guard News. 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-04-03. The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon returned 14 Dominicans to the Dominican Republic Friday, after a boat carrying 17 Dominicans and three Indians was interdicted in the Mona Passage Wednesday just off the coast of Aguada, Puerto Rico.[ dead link ]
  20. ↑ "US Coast Guard rescues 14 Dominican boatpeople". Dominican Today. 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2016-04-04. The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon repatriated the remaining 14 Dominicans to the Dominican Republic during an at-sea transfer of the migrants to a Dominican Navy patrol vessel Friday just south of La Romana.
  21. ↑ Connie Braesch (2010-11-11). "Coast Guard Heroes: Richard Dixon". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2012-09-03. Richard Dixon, a Boatswain's Mate stationed at Tillamook Bay, was awarded two Coast Guard Medals for his heroic actions on July Fourth weekend, 1980.
  22. ↑ Stephanie Young (2010-10-27). "Coast Guard Heroes". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  23. ↑ Clive Lawford (2011). "U.S. Coast Guard Medal Awards" . Retrieved 2013-01-10. Petty Officer Dixon is cited for heroism on the afternoon of 3 July 1980 while serving as the coxswain of Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat (MLB) 44409.
  24. ↑ "U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter". United States Coast Guard. 2010-03-22. Archived from the original on 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2013-02-01. Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 153-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services.
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