Alaska’s coastline is longer than the entire rest of the United States combined. However, for decades the U.S. Coast Guard has relied on aging patrol boats built in the 1980s to cover this area. The new generation of FRCs represents a significant upgrade. These new vessels are equipped with advanced surveillance and communications systems and capable of deploying smaller boats over the horizon to reach vessels in distress or under suspicion.
The USCGC FREDERICK MANN will be incorporated into the U.S. Coast Guard during a significant period of modernization. After the commissioning of the USCGC STORIS (the service’s first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years) the Arctic District is also set to receive two additional Offshore Patrol Cutters soon. For a region where climate change is opening new shipping lanes and creating new security challenges, this is an important addition.
Every cutter carries a name, and every name carries a story. In August 1942, Frederick Mann was aboard a ship that came under attack during World War II. When an enemy aircraft crashed into the vessel and set the decks on fire, Mann grabbed a fire hose and pushed into the burning compartment where the ship’s ammunition was stored. Despite the dense smoke and elevated temperatures, he entered the ammunition area a second time to ensure that the fire was extinguished.
Because of that decision, the ammunition did not explode, allowing everyone on board the ship a chance to escape safely.
Mann went on to serve 31 more years in the U.S. Coast Guard before retiring. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 98. His niece traveled to Kodiak for the commissioning ceremony to celebrate the cutter that now bears his name.