The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz, seen here in New York on May 20, 2026, is expected to arrive on Guam sometime in summer 2026. (Sydney Phoenix/U.S.Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard has commissioned its newest fast response cutter, one of two bound for Guam this year as the service expands its capabilities near the westernmost U.S. territory.
The USCGC Vincent Danz — the Coast Guard’s 62nd Sentinel-class fast response cutter — officially entered service Friday during a commissioning ceremony in New York City, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam announced in a news release that day.
The cutter is named for New York City police officer and Coast Guard reservist Vincent Danz, who died responding to the 9/11 attacks when the World Trade Center collapsed. His family, including his widow, Angela Donohue, attended the ceremony.
“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,” Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, vice commandant of the Coast Guard, said at the ceremony, according to the release.
Danz, a Marine Corps veteran, joined the New York Police Department in 1987 and simultaneously served as a port security specialist with the Coast Guard Reserve. He was working with the department’s Emergency Service Unit when he died and was posthumously awarded the NYPD’s Medal of Honor, according to the release.
“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,” Allan said.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz, named for a Coast Guard reservist and NYPD officer who died responding to the 9/11 attacks, sails into the New York Harbor on May 20, 2026. (Logan Kaczmarek/U.S. Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vincent Danz sails into New York Harbor on May 20, 2026. (Logan Kaczmarek/U.S. Coast Guard)
The ship will be the fourth fast response cutter to be homeported on Guam, joining the Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry and Frederick Hatch.
The Vincent Danz will arrive sometime this summer, although a more precise arrival date was not immediately available, Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam spokeswoman Lt. Sara Muir told Stars and Stripes by email Monday.
“We’re proud to welcome USCGC Vincent Danz to the fleet and to this region,” she wrote. “Their team joins three cutter crews that have already distinguished themselves across Micronesia and the broader region — and the Vincent Danz crew is ready to continue that work and honor his legacy of public service.”
A fifth cutter, the Jeffrey Palazzo — named in honor of New York City firefighter and Coast Guard reservist Jeffrey Palazzo, who also died responding to the 9/11 attacks — is expected to arrive later this year. It is slated for a September commissioning, Muir said.
The Coast Guard is aiming for a fleet of 77 fast response cutters, according to its website. It is considering allocating a sixth to Guam, Muir wrote.
The cutters replace aging 110-foot patrol boats and are intended to fulfill a variety of mission sets, including port and border security, search and rescue and countering illicit maritime activities.
“More assets mean more flexibility to execute across all our missions, not just one,” Muir said.
