Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., held a keel-laying ceremony Monday for Pickering (WMSM 919), the first U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) to be built at the company’s Mobile shipyard. The cutter is being constructed under a contract covering up to 11 vessels with a potential value of $3.3 billion. The Coast Guard has exercised options for six cutters so far.
Ship sponsor Dr. Meghan Pickering Seymour authenticated the keel by welding her initials onto a keel plate before more than 100 guests, including The Rep. Mike Ezell, R.-Miss., Chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting Commandant of the Coast Guard; local officials; and members of Austal USA and Coast Guard shipbuilding teams. Dr. Seymour, a direct descendant of Col. Timothy Pickering — the namesake of the first USCGC Pickering launched in 1798 — was assisted by Austal USA welder Ravi Khamsourin.
The OPC program is intended to replace the Coast Guard’s aging medium endurance cutters and fill the capability gap between national security cutters that operate in the open ocean and fast response cutters used closer to shore.
“Meeting this important milestone for the Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter program is a significant achievement that underscores our commitment to the on-time delivery of the cutters the USCG needs,” said Austal USA President Michelle Kruger. “Today’s ceremony is representative of the hard work and dedication of our skilled workforce and the strength of the shipbuilding team of Austal USA, the Coast Guard, and our suppliers. We are proud to be building these critically important cutters that will help ensure the security of our nation."
The 360' OPCs will form the backbone of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence, performing law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, and search and rescue missions. Each cutter will have a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots, endurance of up to 60 days, and the ability to operate independently or in task groups. The vessels will also serve as mobile command-and-control platforms for surge operations, including hurricane response and mass-migration events, and support Arctic mission requirements.
Pickering is one of two Coast Guard OPCs now under construction at Austal USA and one of 10 surface ships currently being built at the Mobile facility, according to the shipbuilder. Austal USA began work on its second Heritage-class cutter, Icarus (WMSM 920), in August 2025.
