Rozema Boat Works, Mount Vernon, Wash., held a keel laying ceremony for the U.S. Coast Guard's Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather 2nd Generation (SPC-HWX II) on July 8, for the first vessel in the program.
The ceremony marked the formal start of construction on the 64' heavy-weather response boat, which is being built to replace the Coast Guard's retired 52' heavy weather boats that served from the 1950s until their retirement in 2021.
Rear Adm. Jon Hickey, the Coast Guard's deputy commandant for systems, component acquisition executive and chief acquisition officer, attended the ceremony alongside Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and other guests. During the event, Larsen and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Beth Slade, commanding officer of the National Motor Lifeboat School, welded their initials into the keel, a traditional maritime practice signifying the keel is "well and truly laid."
The event also included remarks from Hickey, Larsen, and Rozema Boat Works president Dirk Rozema. Zachary Heffron, northwest Washington outreach director for the office of Sen. Maria Cantwell, attended on the senator's behalf.
The Coast Guard plans to acquire up to six SPC-HWX II vessels, which will be homeported in the Pacific Northwest and designed to operate in surf and heavy-weather conditions beyond the capabilities of the service's standard boat fleet.
Designed by Camarc Design, Chichester, England, the SPC-HWX II will support search-and-rescue operations, disabled vessel towing, law enforcement, ports, waterways and coastal security missions, and other Coast Guard operations.
The new design features a self-righting hull capable of operating in 35' seas, 25' surf, and sustained winds up to 60 knots. Powered by twin 1,200-hp diesel engines, the vessel will have a top speed of 20 knots, a towing capacity of up to 300 tons, and an operational range extending 150 miles offshore.
The vessel also will include accommodations for a relief crew, allowing missions of up to 48 hours without returning to port. A full-scale aluminum mock-up of the vessel’s aft deck is currently staged at the yard, where Coast Guard surf school personnel recently evaluated rescue platform ergonomics.
In a Rozema statement released following the ceremony, Sen. Cantwell said Washington's maritime economy and coastal communities depend on the Coast Guard's ability to operate in severe weather and noted she had supported authorization of the heavy-weather surf boat program and secured funding for the first two vessels. She added that construction at Rozema Boat Works will strengthen the state's shipbuilding workforce while providing the Coast Guard with new lifesaving capabilities.
Rozema Boat Works said the contract marks a new chapter for the company, which is partnering with the Coast Guard to build the next generation of heavy-weather rescue craft for service in the Pacific Northwest.
“We look forward to delivering a vessel that will serve those who protect our nation's waters for years to come,” the boatbuilder said in a statement.
Delivery of the first SPC-HWX II is scheduled for 2027.
