First Lady sponsors Coast Guard's newest National Security Cutter, Stratton, in commissioning ceremony

Photo By Barry Bena | First Lady Michelle Obama and Coast Guard Capt. Charles Cashin, the Stratton's commanding officer, applaud after placing the Stratton into commission during an event at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, March 30, 2012. The Stratton is named for Capt. Stratton, who served as director of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve - also known as the SPARs - during World War II. The Cutter Stratton is the third of eight planned National Security Cutters and is the first of its class named for a woman. A commissioning is a formal ceremony where a ship is placed into active service and begins to function as a command. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Barry Bena)  

ALAMEDA, CA, UNITED STATES

03.31.2012

Courtesy Story

U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Coast Guard placed the country's newest National Security Cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton, into service during a formal ceremony on Coast Guard Island, in Alameda, Saturday.

First Lady Michelle Obama joined in the ceremony as the Stratton's official sponsor, alongside Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp and the Stratton's commanding officer, Capt. Charles L. Cashin, III. In July 2010, Obama christened the ship where it was built in Pascagoula, Miss. Today, she ceremoniously placed the cutter into service.

Stratton is named for Capt. Dorothy Stratton, who became the first director of the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, known as the SPARs, in 1942. Approximately 40 SPAR veterans attended today's commissioning ceremony and were recognized for their service.

Stratton is the Coast Guard's third 418-foot Legend-Class National Security Cutter and the first of its class to be named for a woman. These new cutters are replacing the 378-foot Hamilton-class cutters that were commissioned between 1967 and 1972. Legend-class cutters have more endurance and state-of-the-art systems that enhance the Coast Guard’s interoperability with Department of Defense and Homeland Security partners.

Among its many missions, the Stratton will provide a presence in the Pacific Ocean near Central and South America to protect the United States from illegal drugs and associated transnational crime. Stratton will also patrol the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea to protect these fishing grounds from poachers, ensure compliance with U.S. fishing regulations and respond to mariners in distress.

• Date Taken: 03.31.2012
• Date Posted: 04.01.2012 09:16
• Story ID: 86081
• Location: ALAMEDA, CA, US