MIAMI – Coast Guard Rear Adm. William Baumgartner, U.S.
Coast Guard Seventh District Commander, led a ceremony Friday to commission the
Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered, the fourth Sentinel Class Fast
Response Cutter, at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach.
The Yered, homeported in Miami, is 154’ long, has a
beam of 25’, and a maximum sustained speed of more than 28 knots.
The Robert Yered is armed with a stabilized 25mm machine-gun mount
and four crew-served .50-caliber machine guns.
Coast Guard Cutter Robert Robert J. Yered was an engine
specialist in the United States Coast Guard who was awarded a Silver Star for
heroic action during the War in Vietnam. Engineman Robert Yered was a member of
the explosive loading detail at the United States Army Terminal, Cat Lai,
Vietnam. On the morning of Feb.18, 1968, the terminal was attacked by enemy
rocket, mortar and small arms fire. With the terminal on fire and barges
dangerously close to exploding, Yered courageously exposed himself to enemy
gunfire as he helped extinguish fires. His bravery averted not only the
destruction of his own ship, but also that of the entire terminal.
Also participating in the ceremony were Lt. Paul
Stepler, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered and Lt.
Mario Gil, executive officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered
along with other Coast Guard senior officers; Lori Geddis, daughter
of Robert Yered and cutter sponsor; and federal, state and local
officials, along with Coast Guard Vietnam Veterans.
The Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters, according to the
Coast Guard, are designed to conduct maritime drug interdiction, alien migrant
interdiction, search and rescue, national defense, homeland security, living
marine resources and other Coast Guard missions. This class of patrol boat is
capable of deploying independently to execute Coast Guard missions and prevent
potential threats from approaching our shores and offers vastly improved
capabilities over the aging 110-foot Island class patrol boats it replaces. The
Fast Response Cutter is part of the Coast Guard's layered approach to maritime
security that includes the National Security Cutter and the Offshore Patrol
Cutter.