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First Lady Sponsors Coast Guard's Newest National Security Cutter, Stratton

Published Apr 2, 2012 2:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

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, Captain Charles L. Cashin, III. In July 2010, Mrs. Obama christened the ship where it was built in Pascagoula, Miss. Then, she ceremoniously placed the cutter into service.

Caption: Senior Chief Petty Officer David Stephens escorts First Lady Michelle Obama arrives at the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton before the ship's commissioning ceremony in Alameda, Calif., March 31, 2012. Michelle Obama is the official sponsor of Stratton and is the first First Lady to sponsor a Coast Guard cutter.

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 the 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.

The First Lady Michelle Obama covers her heart while Adm. Robert J. Papp, Commandant of the Coast Guard, renders a salute during the National Anthem at the commissioning ceremony of the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton on Coast Guard Island, March 31, 2012. A "commissioning" is a formal ceremony where the ship is placed into active service and begins to function as a command. The Cutter Stratton is the Coast Guard’s first National Security Cutter to be named after a woman and is the third of the planned eight NSC's.

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Source: United States Coast Guard