July 28, 2026 —
Coast Guard Cutter Legare, a 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter, departed Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore on July 22, having successfully completed its 24-month service life extension program (SLEP). The cutter is now on the way to its new homeport in Newport, Rhode Island.
Managed by the Coast Guard’s In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program, the SLEP ensures mission readiness, improves reliability and reduces maintenance costs of the Coast Guard’s operational fleet. The program extends the service life of legacy cutters by replacing obsolete, unsupportable or maintenance-intensive systems, enabling the cutter to continue meeting mission demands in the most cost-effective manner.
Lt. Cmdr. Ben Morseth, ISVS assistant program manager, said the following about sustaining operational capabilities of the cutters: “Continuing to invest into the 270-foot fleet and breathe life into the systems onboard will bolster the Coast Guard’s bench strength as we await the offshore patrol cutters (OPCs) of the future.”
The SLEP for the medium endurance cutters includes updates and replacements of electrical power generation and distribution systems, main diesel propulsion engines and gun weapon systems. Legare is the second of six medium endurance cutters scheduled to receive all major system overhauls including new main propulsion engines. This intensive work, which began in June 2024, will allow the cutter to operate for an additional decade, sustaining operational capability as the Coast Guard transitions to the OPC fleet.
Four additional medium endurance cutters – Campbell, Forward, Escanaba and Tahoma – will complete SLEPs by 2030. Seneca and Harriet Lane previously served as prototypes for the electrical and structural work but did not receive new engines. Harriet Lane also served as the prototype for the MK38 gun weapon system.
For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program page and Offshore Patrol Cutter Program page