Bollinger Shipyards is an American constructor of

ships A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

, workboats and

patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they ...

s. Its thirteen shipyards and forty drydocks are located in Louisiana and Texas. Its drydocks range in capacity from vessels of 100 tons displacement to 22,000 tons displacement. The firm was founded in 1946.

Coast Guard vessels

The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

has called upon Bollinger Shipyards to build many of its patrol vessels.

Marine Protector cutters

Bollinger secured the contract to build approximately fifty Marine Protector cutters. These vessels were staffed by a crew of 10. Uniquely for Coast Guard vessels of this size they were designed to be capable of being crewed by crews of mixed sex. These high speed vessels were lightly armed, mounting just two Browning M2 fifty caliber machine guns. But they were equipped with a

stern launching ramp Some modern patrol vessels are equipped with a stern launching ramp, for deploying smaller rescue or pursuit boats without requiring the parent ship to first come to a halt. Typically the smaller craft are powered by water-jets, and can dri ...

, capable of launching and retrieving a high speed pursuit boat while the cutter was still in motion. The launch and retrieval of the pursuit boat required just one sailor to remain on deck. Over 70 vessels were constructed, before the production line was shut down, with 4 being built for other nations, and 4 being built for the United States Navy, although those vessels are manned and operated by the Coast Guard.

Island-class cutters

Bollinger originally built 49 cutters, so called because each cutter was named after an island. These vessels were staffed by a crew of 18, and their primary armament was a 25 mm

autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bull ...

. Bollinger secured a contract to refit eight of the Island-class cutters, adding thirteen feet to their stern, so they too could launch and retrieve a pursuit boat from a rear launching ramp. The refit also included replacing the original deckhouse and refitting the crew accommodation so they could carry a mixed gender crew of 18. The conversion added 15 tons to each vessel. All of the eight refitted Island-class cutters' hulls would crack when driven at high speed in a heavy seas, and proved to be so unseaworthy that they were all withdrawn from service, forcing the scrapping of the conversion program. As a result, in August 2011, the US government sued Bollinger over the failed modifications, alleging that the company made false statements about the hull strength that would result from its extensions to the patrol boats. The suit was dismissed.

Sentinel-class cutters

On September 26, 2008, Bollinger was awarded US$88 million to build the prototype of the fast-response cutters. In 2008, Bollinger secured a contract to build the first group of 24 to 34 cutters. On 5 May 2016 U.S. Coast Guard signed a new contract with Bollinger to build 26 additional vessels, bringing the total on order to 58 at a cost of almost $3.8 billion. A news release said that the new ships will replace ones that Bollinger built more than 30 years previously. The 240-ton vessels are staffed by a mixed-sex crew of 22, and are armed with a remote-operated Mk 38 Mod 2 25 mm

and four .50 caliber crew-served Browning M2 machine guns. These vessels can also stern launch and retrieve a high speed pursuit boat, without coming to a stop. They were designed for missions of five days. The first three vessels were launched in 2011, and as of mid-2017 23 had entered service, with deliveries occurring every 73 days.

Polar-class icebreakers

Bollinger was one of five contractors which bid to build new heavy polar

icebreakers An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

for the United States Coast Guard. The five bidders were each awarded a $20 million contract for development work. Bollinger announced that, if it were the winning bidder, it would have built the icebreakers in its

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

shipyard, which it predicted would have employed 1,000 workers for ten years. However, the vessels were awarded to

VT Halter Marine VT Halter Marine, Inc. is a shipbuilding company and an American subsidiary of ST Engineering. It is located in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It specializes in ship design and construction and serves both public and private clients, including the Unit ...

United States Navy vessels

''Cyclone''-class patrol ships

Bollinger built 14 s for the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

between 1993 and 2000. The ships are long and carry a crew of 28 (4 officers, 24 enlisted). Their mission is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance. These ships can also provide full mission support for Navy

SEALs Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

and other

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

forces. As of 2010, four of these vessels have been decommissioned in the Navy. Three had been loaned to the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

to fill patrol hours but have been returned to the USN as of October 2011. one vessel,

PC-1 PC-1 (Pacific Crossing 1) is a submarine telecommunications cable system in the North Pacific Ocean linking the United States to Japan. It has landing points in: #Shima, Mie Prefecture, Japan # Ajigaura, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan ...

, was transferred to the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...

, as an excess defense article. As of 2015, ten of the U.S. Navy's thirteen Cyclone-class patrol ships were deployed to the Persian Gulf to deal with a potential conflict with Iran. The remaining three ships of the class are slated to be transferred to Naval Station Mayport in Florida to work primarily with drug interdiction work with U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) / U.S. Fourth Fleet.

''Navajo''-class rescue and salvage ship

On 19 April 2021, Bollinger bought the contract to build seven U.S. Navy from

Gulf Island Fabrication Gulf Island Fabrication is an American manufacturer of specialized structures and marine vessels used in the energy sector. The company builds offshore oil and gas platforms, ships and also foundations for offshore wind turbines. It also provides ...

. Included in the deal was the shipyard

Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government ...

where the ships were being built. The first three ships were still under construction at the time of sale.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = http://intercepts.defensenews.com/2013/07/pcs-on-the-move-to-central-command/ , title = PCs on the move – to Central Command , work =

Defense News ''Defense News'' is a website and newspaper about the politics, business, and technology of national security published by Sightline Media Group. Founded in 1986, ''Defense News'' serves an audience of senior military, government, and industry de ...

, author = Christopher P. Cavas , access-date = 2013-07-08 , quote = The little PCs were at first scorned when they entered service in the mid-1990s, rejected by the special operations warfare community they were built for as too big. A new lease on life was found after 9/11, when the Navy needed craft to patrol the U.S. coasts, but even that need mostly fell off. Some were sent to the Gulf in 2003 and 2004 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom – a mission that kept the craft steadily employed – but some of those that remained in the U.S. fell by the wayside, becoming little more than spare parts sources for the vessels that remained running. {{dead link, date=August 2021, bot=medic{{cbignore, bot=medic {{cite news , url = https://medium.com/war-is-boring/congress-hates-on-the-navy-s-tiniest-warships-1930698ff7ae , title = Congress Hates On the Navy’s Tiniest Warships , work = War is Boring , date = 2015-04-21 , author = David Axe , access-date = 2018-07-19 {{cite news , url = https://www.marinelink.com/news/bollinger-new-icebreakers-built-florida-439431 , title = Bollinger: New Icebreakers Could be Built in Florida , date = 2018-07-09 , work =

Marine Link Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

, access-date = 2018-07-18 , quote = Bollinger says it has selected Tampa Shipyard for the design and construction of up to three heavy polar icebreakers, and three additional medium-sized icebreakers under consideration by the U.S. Coast Guard. {{cite news , url = https://www.bollingershipyards.com/blog/bollinger-commits-coast-guard-icebreaker-program-to-florida , title = Bollinger Commits Coast Guard Icebreaker Program to Florida , work = Bollinger shipyards , date = 2018-07-10 , access-date = 2018-07-18 , quote = Should we be awarded the contract for the heavies and the anticipated mediums constructed in Tampa, we could be busy here through 2035. Along with the supporting infrastructure of vendors, subcontractors and suppliers, we would expect that locating this program in Tampa will have the benefit of well over 3,500 quality, high paying, full-time jobs with solid benefits packages,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger’s President and CEO. , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180719024352/https://www.bollingershipyards.com/blog/bollinger-commits-coast-guard-icebreaker-program-to-florida , archive-date = 2018-07-19 , url-status = dead {{cite news , url = http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2018/3/2/coast-guard-schedules-heavy-icebreaker-rfp , title = Five Shipbuilders Expected Vie for Coast Guard Icebreaker Contract (UPDATED) , work = National Defense magazine , author = Connie Lee , date = 2018-03-02 , access-date = 2018-07-18 , quote = Those companies included Bollinger Shipyards, Fincantieri Marine Group, General Dynamics and National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, Huntington Ingalls and VT Halter Marine, a Coast Guard statement noted. {{cite news , url = http://www.houmatoday.com/news/20180709/bollinger-vies-to-build-icebreakers , title = Bollinger vies to build icebreakers , work =

Houma Today Houma can refer to: * Houma, Louisiana, city in the United States *Houma, Shanxi, city in China *Houma people, a Native American group *Houma language, a Western Muskogean language *Houma, meaning ''cape'', the name of some capes in Tonga and vill ...

, author = Keith McGill , date = 2018-07-09 , access-date = 2018-07-18 , quote = Bollinger is one of five companies awarded contracts last year for heavy polar icebreaker design studies and analysis. The total amount of the contracts was about $20 million for that work. {{cite news , url = https://chuckhillscgblog.net/2018/07/09/bollinger-wants-to-build-cg-icebreakers-in-tampa/ , title = Bollinger Wants to Build CG Icebreakers in Tampa , work = Chuck Hill's CG blog , author = Chuck Hill , author-link = Chuck Hill , date = 2018-07-09 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180719024656/https://chuckhillscgblog.net/2018/07/09/bollinger-wants-to-build-cg-icebreakers-in-tampa/ , archive-date = 2018-07-19 , url-status = live , access-date = 2018-07-18 , quote = MarineLink provides what is almost certainly a quote of press release from Bollinger stating they hope to build the three heavy and three medium icebreakers the Coast Guard has been saying it needs in Tampa.

External links

Official Website
Shipbuilding companies of the United States Manufacturing companies established in 1946 1946 establishments in Louisiana Manufacturing companies based in Louisiana