Coast Guard Cutter Stratton arrives in Chennai, India

Coast Guard Cutter Stratton. 
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jasmine Mieszala (archive).

CHENNAI, India – The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton arrived Friday in Chennai following previous engagements with Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Stratton’s crew will work alongside U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel to expand cooperation between personnel, in both nations’ navies and coast guards, which play a critical role ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. 

India is a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, whose partnership stands upon a shared commitment to uphold the rule of law, freedom of navigation, democratic values and open markets – key principles of the United States’ Indo-Pacific vision.

"The U.S. Coast Guard is excited to work with the India Coast Guard to further our shared interest in a rules based, free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Capt. Bob Little, commanding officer Coast Guard Cutter Stratton.  “We have several days of in-harbor and at sea exercises planned that will advance our shared capabilities to combat maritime security threats such as trans-national crime, terrorism, illegal fishing, and more.  India is among the United States’ most valuable strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific, and this visit represents an outstanding opportunity to strengthen that partnership."

The Stratton crew will be in Chennai participating in shore side and at-sea maritime training exercises, including mock vessel boarding, navigation, communications and small boat operations.

Stratton, a 418-foot national security cutter, originally homeported in Alameda, California, is operating in the western pacific under the tactical control of U.S. 7th Fleet, engaging in professional exchanges and capacity-building exercises with partner nations, and will patrol and conduct operations in the Indo-Pacific region as directed.

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SECNAV Names Future Destroyer in Honor of US Coast Guard, World War II Navy Cross Recipient

Cherbourg, France (June 6, 2019) A graphic illustration of the future Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132). (U.S. Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Paul L. Archer/Released).

From Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs

Cherbourg, France (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer named a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, DDG 132, in honor of Coast Guard Capt. Quentin Walsh, who was awarded the Navy Cross for his service during World War II.

“Capt. Walsh was a hero whose efforts during World War II continue to inspire, and his leadership in securing the French port of Cherbourg had a profound effect on the success of the amphibious operations associated with Operation Overlord,” Spencer said.

“For over two centuries, the Navy and Marine Corps team and the Coast Guard have sailed side by side, in peacetime and war, fair weather or foul. I am honored the future USS Quentin Walsh will carry Capt. Walsh’s legacy of strength and service throughout the world, and I am proud that for decades to come, this ship will remind friends and adversaries alike of the proud history of our services and the skill and professionalism of all those who stand the watch today.”

Spencer made the announcement alongside Adm. Karl Schultz, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, in a ceremony aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle in Cherbourg, France.

"We are grateful to the U.S. Navy and Sec. Spencer for honoring one of our Coast Guard heroes, Capt. Quentin Walsh," Schultz said. "Naming a future Navy destroyer after Capt. Walsh, the first Arleigh Burke-class ship to be named after a Coast Guard legend, highlights not only his courageous actions but the bravery of all U.S. service members involved in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy.

"The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard legacies are interwoven as reflected in the heroic actions of Capt. Walsh and the Navy Sailors under his command during the liberation of Cherbourg," the commandant continued. "We will remain always ready to stand with our brothers and sisters in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps."

During World War II, while serving on the staff of the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, then Cmdr. Walsh was given command of a 53-man special task force assigned to capture the vital port of Cherbourg. Despite heavy casualties, his small force seized the port facilities and took control of the harbor the day after they entered the city.

After he discovered that the remaining German garrison at Fort du Homet held 52 U.S. Army paratroopers as prisoners, Walsh, under a flag of truce, exaggerated the strength of the forces under his command and persuaded the commanding officer of the remnants of the German garrison to surrender. These actions earned him the Navy Cross and, all told, he accepted the surrender of over 700 German soldiers. Walsh died May 18, 2000.


Arleigh Burke-class destroyers conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis response to sea control and power projection. The future USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132) will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and will contain a combination of offensive and defensive weapon systems to support maritime warfare, including integrated air and missile defense and vertical launch capabilities.


USS Quentin Walsh will be constructed at Bath Iron Works, a division of General Dynamics in Bath, Maine. The ship will be 509 feet long, have a beam of 59 feet and be capable of operating in excess of 30 knots.




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