Fresh from commissioning festivities in Boston, Coast Guard’s newest National Security Cutter, James, made its first port call to Baltimore, Tuesday.
Starting Wednesday until Thursday, the cutter will be open for free public tours at the following times and location in West Broadway Pier in Fells Point:
Wednesday, Aug. 19 from 8 to 10 a.m.; 1 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
(GPS unit: 920 S Broadway, Baltimore, Md. 21231)
Cutter James was recently commissioned for operational service at Boston Aug. 8 and is making way to its inaugural homeport in Charleston scheduled to arrive Aug. 28.
Its namesake links the next generation of men and women serving aboard to the renowned lifesavers of the past, most notably of Capt. Joshua James, a native of Hull, Massachusetts, who is credited with saving more than 600 lives during his time with the U.S. Life-Saving Service, which merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915 to create the modern U.S. Coast Guard
The James is the fifth of eight NSC’s – the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutters in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The cutters’ design provides better sea-keeping, higher sustained transit speeds, greater endurance and range, and the ability to launch and recover small boats from astern, as well as aviation support facilities and a flight deck for helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
