USCGC Melvin Bell

File:55th fast response cutter accepted, to be homeported in Boston.jpg
History
United States
Name	Melvin Bell
Builder	Bollinger Shipyards
Commissioned	March 28, 2024
Homeport	Coast Guard Station Boston
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class & type	Sentinel-class cutter
Displacement	353 long tons (359 t)
Length	154 ft (47 m)
Beam	25 ft (7.6 m)
Draft	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
Propulsion	2 x MTU diesel engines
Range	2,500 nmi (4,600 km; 2,900 mi)
Complement	24
Armament	1 × Mk. 38 Mod. 2 25 mm autocannon 4 × .50-caliber M2 machineguns

USCGC Melvin Bell (WPC-1155) is a 154-foot (47 m) United States Coast Guard Fast Response Craft of the Sentinel class, stationed at U.S. Coast Guard Station Boston. She is the 55th vessel of her class and is named for Master Chief Electronics Technician Melvin Kealoha Bell Sr., the first soldier to raise alarm of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and first Pacific Islander to reach rank of chief petty officer.

Construction

The vessel, as well as all others in her class, was constructed by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana and delivered to the Coast Guard November 17, 2023, at a cost of $65 million. She has an overall length of 154 feet (47 m), a beam of 25 ft (7.6 m), a draft of 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m). She displaces roughly 353 long tons (359 t) with a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). She has a service range of nearly 2,500 nautical miles. She is crewed by 24 service personnel. Her propulsion comes from twin MTU diesel engines, each turning fixed-pitch propellers for 5,800 horsepower (4,300 kW) each. She features a stern-launch ramp for the vessel's Short-Range Prosecutor rigid-hulled inflatable boat. She is armed with a single Mk 38 Mod 2 25 mm autocannon and four .50-caliber M2 machine guns. All vessels of the class incorporate advanced C4ISR Systems (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance).

Service

After accepting delivery of the vessel, she would arrive at her homeport (Coast Guard Station Boston) on January 3, 2024, after sea trials off Key West. Lieutenant Patrick Kelly assumed the first command of the vessel, with Rita Mayer serving as its sponsor. Melvin Bell is the sixth and final cutter to join Station Boston. Her and her sister vessels are responsible for patrolling the North Atlantic region, participating in narcotic/migrant interdictions, fisheries law enforcement, port defense, and search and rescue. Her duty zone stretches along the Massachusetts–New Hampshire border.