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TAMPA BAY, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter William Flores, the third of a planned 58 Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters, hosted media and invited guests during their transit from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg to Terminal 3 at the Port of Tampa, Wednesday.
The Flores is scheduled to be commissioned into service Saturday.
Guests and media were afforded the chance to see firsthand the features and capabilities of the Flores, interview crewmembers, and query subject matter experts about the Fast Response Cutter acquisition program and the need for the continued recapitalization of the Coast Guard fleet.
The Flores' scheduled location of the commissioning honors the history of the cutter’s namesake. On the night of Jan. 28, 1980, Coast Guard Seaman William “Billy” Flores, 18, died while assisting his shipmates after the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn, collided with a large merchant vessel in the Tampa Bay ship channel. His heroism and sacrifice serve as an example for all Coast Guard members and inspire the ship’s motto of “courage in adversity.”
The Flores is homeported in Miami.