USCG Commissions Cutter Dedicated to 9/11 Hero
The U.S. Coast Guard joined the ceremonies around the United States remembering the heroes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, completing the commissioning of the second of two Fast Response cutters dedicated to members of the Coast Guard who were among the first responders at New York’s World Trade Center. The Fast Response Cutter Jeffrey Palazzo (WPC 1163) was commissioned in New York Harbor on September 12, before the vessel deploys to Guam.
The cutter is the 63rd ship of the Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter class, which is being used to replace the 1980s Island class 110-foot patrol boats. The vessels are being built by Bollinger Shipyards in Mississippi and deployed around the continental United States, in Puerto Rico, Bahrain, and Guam. Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished themselves in the line of duty.
USCG flyover during the ceremony to commission the newest Fast Response Cutter (Allan Jordan - The Maritime Executive)
The newest cutter is named for Jeffrey Palazzo, who began his Coast Guard career in 1988 and served as a machinery technician. During his Coast Guard service, he was involved in numerous rescues, including the 1993 grounding of the cargo ship Golden Venture, which was carrying more than 200 Chinese immigrants, many of whom jumped into the ocean when the vessel grounded. Palazzo joined the New York City Fire Department in 1996 and continued to serve in the Coast Guard Reserve. He was part of an elite fire rescue team and, on September 11, 2001, responded to the World Trade Center. He was one of 343 New York Fire Department personnel killed that day.
The vessel is one of two named for Coast Guard members who were first responders that day, with the USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC-1162), commissioned in May 2026 in memory of Danz, a Coast Guard reservist and member of the New York City Police Department. Two pieces of steel from the debris of the World Trade Center were placed aboard the ships in commemorative plaques, and members of the New York Fire Department also donated pieces of Jeffrey Palazzo’s gear to be displayed on the vessel. Reflecting Palazzo’s sense of duty, the vessel was given the motto “Answer the Call.”
Presiding at the commissioning was Admiral Kevin Lunday, the 28th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. The “Long Glass Presenter” in the ceremony, and aiding in setting the first watch on the new cutter, was MK2 Matthew V. Palazzo, son of Jeffrey Palazzo and an active-duty member of the Coast Guard.
USCGC Jeffrey Palazzo (WPC 1163) (USCG photo)
It was the third Fast Response Cutter commissioned in 2026, following the USCGC Olivia Hooker in January. Bollinger had been under contract to build 67 vessels, with the final FRC scheduled for delivery in 2028. In September 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded Bollinger 10 additional FRC contracts, increasing the program to 77 vessels. Bollinger reports the additional contract extended the production line by approximately three years.
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The 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter is considered among the most capable patrol vessels in the U.S. Coast Guard fleet and has been called “operational game changers” by Coast Guard command. Admiral Lunday, during the presentation, called the Sentinel "the best class of ship in the history of the USCG." Featuring a flank speed of 28 knots and a state-of-the-art Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance suite, the vessels each have 25 officers and crew. The design also features a stern-launch-and-recovery ramp for a 26-foot over-the-horizon interceptor cutter boat.
The USCG took delivery of the UCSCG Jeffrey Palazzo on June 11, and the crew has been undergoing training in the United States. After the New York ceremony, it is preparing to deploy to Guam, where it will become the fifth FRC, alongside the Vincet Danz as well as the Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139), Oliver Henry (WPC 1140), and Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143). Deployed in the Oceania District, the vessels conduct maritime security operations, combat illegal fishing, support search and rescue missions, and strengthen the U.S. partnership with Pacific Island nations.
