NEW YORK – The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday commissioned its 62nd Fast Response Cutter, the USCGC Vincent Danz, in a ceremony at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York City. The cutter will be homeported in Guam.
Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, presided over the ceremony. Members of the Danz family attended, including cutter sponsor Angela Donohue, widow of the late Vincent Danz.
“Vincent Danz’s legacy will live on not only through his family and his brothers and sisters in the NYPD, but through the Coast Guard crew who will breathe life into this cutter today,” Allan said. “The Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz will perform the Coast Guard’s vital work across Oceania, projecting U.S. presence, countering illicit maritime activity, and strengthening our international partnerships.”
The Vincent Danz is the fourth of five Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Guam with U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam. It will join the Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry and Frederick Hatch, all commissioned in Guam since 2021.
The Guam-based cutters most recently responded to Super Typhoon Sinlaku’s impacts on communities in the Marianas. The Myrtle Hazard’s crew became the first to operationalize the bilateral maritime law enforcement agreement with Papua New Guinea, conducting joint patrols and boardings in 2023. The Oliver Henry’s crew saved around a dozen mariners in the Federated States of Micronesia, delivered humanitarian assistance during the Yap drought, and towed the 500-ton yacht Black Pearl to the Republic of Palau, rescuing 11 people in 2024. The Frederick Hatch became the first Fast Response Cutter to visit Tacloban, Philippines, for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and operationalized an enhanced bilateral agreement with Palau in 2024.
The cutter’s namesake, Vincent Danz, was serving in the New York City Police Department Emergency Services Unit when he responded to the World Trade Center and was killed when the towers collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001. He was posthumously awarded the NYPD’s Medal of Honor. Danz was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, joined the NYPD in 1987, and continued to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve as a Port Security Specialist 2nd Class.
The cutter’s primary mission will focus on Oceania, with emphasis on the Micronesia and Melanesia sub-regions, conducting maritime security operations, combating illegal activity, supporting search and rescue missions, and strengthening partnerships with Pacific Island nations and allies.
Fast Response Cutters feature advanced command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, as well as over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment capability. The Coast Guard has ordered the new cutters to replace its 1980s-era Island-class 110-foot patrol boats.
Photos courtesy United States Coast Guard.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) sails into the New York Harbor, May 20, 2026. The Vincent Danz sailed from Charleston South Carolina to New York City to be commissioned. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Logan Kaczmarek)The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) sails into the New York Harbor, May 20, 2026. The Vincent Danz made way towards New York City for a commissioning ceremony. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Logan Kaczmarek)U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Sprando, assigned to Sector New York, conducts ceremonial honor guard duties during the commissioning ceremony of USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. Honor guard members participated in the ceremony honoring the cutter’s namesake and legacy of service. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) sails into the New York Harbor, May 20, 2026. The Vincent Danz was escorted by other government agencies into the New York Harbor. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Logan Kaczmarek)The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) sails into the New York Harbor, May 20, 2026. The Vincent Danz entered the New York Harbor by passing under the Verrazano Bridge. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Logan Kaczmarek)U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Brenden Kelley, commanding officer of USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), departs the stage following the cutter’s commissioning ceremony at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. The cutter is scheduled to be homeported in Guam in support of Coast Guard operations throughout Oceania. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) crew members stand at parade rest during the cutter’s commissioning ceremony at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. The cutter was named in honor of Vincent Danz, a New York City police officer and Coast Guard reservist killed during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)U.S. Coast Guard crew members stand at parade rest while lining the rails aboard USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) during the cutter’s commissioning ceremony at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. The ceremony formally placed the cutter into active Coast Guard service. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)U.S. Coast Guard crew members render honors while lining the rails aboard USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) during the cutter’s commissioning ceremony at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. Manning the rails is a traditional maritime ceremony conducted during significant naval and Coast Guard events. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)Members of the New York City Police Department Emerald Society Pipes and Drums perform during the commissioning ceremony of USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. The ceremony recognized the service and sacrifice of Vincent Danz, a New York City police officer and Coast Guard reservist. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)Members of the New York City Police Department Emerald Society Pipes and Drums perform during the commissioning ceremony of USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. The commissioning ceremony formally placed the cutter into active Coast Guard service. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)U.S. Coast Guard crew members hand a looking glass to a member of the Danz family during the commissioning ceremony of USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162) at Pier 86 near the Intrepid Museum in New York, May 22, 2026. The ceremony honored the legacy of Vincent Danz and recognized the sacrifice of his family. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Braelynn Greene)
