A commissioning ceremony for the fast response cutter USCGC Olivia Hooker was held on Jan. 22 in Pascagoula, Miss., where the Coast Guard vessel is homeported. Rear Adm. Will Watson presided over the ceremony, and Lt. Cmdr. Colby Coco, commanding officer, and Lt. j.g. Finnegan Hall, executive officer, accepted the vessel into Gulf waters.
The 154'x25.5'x9'6" Sentinel-class cutter was built by Bollinger Shipyards LLC, Lockport, La., based on the Stan 4708 patrol vessel design from the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group. Main propulsion comes from twin MTU 20V4000 M93L diesel engines, each producing 2,900 hp and giving each boat a flank speed of 28 knots.
“The commissioning of USCGC Olivia Hooker marks a proud milestone in our tenured partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “For decades, Bollinger has been committed to supporting America’s shipbuilding needs, delivering vessels that meet the highest standards of excellence and reliability. Together with the Coast Guard, we remain dedicated to strengthening our nation’s maritime security and sustaining the vital workforce that drives innovation and growth in the American shipbuilding industry.”
In September 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded Bollinger contracts for 10 additional fast response cutters. The award was supported by $25 billion in funding included in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which provided $1 billion for additional FRCs and supported the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 initiative.
Bollinger delivered USCGC Olivia Hooker to the Coast Guard at Sector Key West, Fla., in October 2025. To date, the company has delivered 61 FRCs and had been under contract to build 67 vessels, with the final cutter previously scheduled for delivery in 2028. With the most recent award, the program has increased to 77 vessels, extending production by approximately three years.
Each fast response cutter is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero. USCGC Olivia Hooker is named for Dr. Olivia Juliette Hooker (1915–2018), the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard. Hooker enlisted in 1945 as a member of the SPARs during World War II and later became a professor of psychology at Fordham University and an advocate for education, mental health, and civil rights.
Fast response cutters support a wide range of Coast Guard missions, including ports, waterways and coastal security; defense operations; maritime law enforcement such as drug and migrant interdiction; search and rescue; marine safety; and environmental protection.
