National security cutter Midgett completes acceptance trials for Coast Guard

April 4 (UPI) -- The Midgett, the U.S. Coast Guard's Legend-class national security cutter, has successfully completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries spent two full days testing the ship's propulsion, electrical, damage control, anchor-handling, small boat operations and combat systems, the company said in a news release Wednesday.

Members of the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey were on board during the sea trials.

"The success of these trials is a direct result of the hard work and expertise of our shipbuilders, the INSURV team and our U.S. Coast Guard customer," George S. Jones, Ingalls' vice president of operations, said in a statement. "From the design phase to the ship's delivery, these state-of-the-art vessels perform so well because every member of our team understands the importance of the U.S. Coast Guard in protecting our nation, and they take pride in providing these assets to the service. "

The Midgett, designated as WMSL 757, is the eighth NSC that Ingalls has built for the Coast Guard.

"With the success of these trials, NSC 8 is one step closer to becoming another highly capable, vital asset to the men and women of our Coast Guard," said Derek Murphy, Ingalls' Coast Guard program manager. "Our dedicated NSC team has proven themselves once again, and we could not be more proud of what they have accomplished."

Midgett celebrated its mast stepping on Oct. 25, 2018.

Ingalls plans to deliver the Midgett to the Coast Guard before the end of the year from its shipyard Pascagoula, Miss. The Stone is scheduled for delivery in 2020.

Last December, Ingalls received two fixed-price incentive contracts with a combined value of $931 million to build NSCs 10 and 11.

The NSC 8 honors hundreds of members of the Midgett family who have served in the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessor services. At least 10 members of the Midgett family earned high honors from the U.S. Coast Guard for lifesaving deeds.

The Midgett will be stationed in Honolulu, according to the Coast Guard. The Kimball arrived in Hawaii on Dec. 22.

The six cutters in operation are the Betholf, Waeche, Stratton and Munroe in Alameda, Calif., and the Hamilton and James in Charleston, S.C.

The 418-foot cutters, which are the largest and most technologically advanced of the Coast Guard's newest classes, replace the 378-foot high endurance cutters, which have been in service since the 1960s, according to the Coast Guard.

The cutters include two MH-65 helicopters.