Hamilton-class cutter

The Hamilton-class cutter was the largest class of vessel in the United States Coast Guard until the Legend-class cutter replaced it, apart from the Polar-class icebreakers. Its hull classification symbol is WHEC, and it is also called the Secretary class because most of the ships were named for former Secretaries of the Treasury; the exceptions are the Hero-class cutters Jarvis, Munro and Midgett. The 378-foot cutter program began in the 1960s, and the lead ship, Hamilton, built at Avondale Shipyards, was commissioned on 18 March 1967. The ships have a welded steel hull with an aluminum superstructure, a combined diesel or gas propulsion system of two diesel engines and two gas turbines, and a helicopter flight deck with a retractable hangar. They were the first United States military vessels with combined diesel or gas turbine operation.