Hamilton-class endurance and maritime patrol

Designed in the mid-1960s, the high-endurance cutters had to operate over long ranges with carrier battle groups while also handling maritime patrol and presence missions, including in the Arctic. Combined diesel-and-gas propulsion gave them a 29-knot maximum speed and a 14,000-nautical-mile range. Their armament included an OTO Melara 76 mm/62 gun, two 25 mm Mark 38 guns, Phalanx, six .50-calibre machine guns, and helicopter capacity. A nominal 45-day endurance suggests that stores and crew sustainment could become the limit before fuel. The hull's resemblance to an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate makes the overlap between Coast Guard endurance requirements and frigate-scale naval design easy to see. Jarvis honoured Revenue Cutter Service captain David Henry Jarvis rather than Royal Navy admiral John Jervis.