Heritage-class cutters and the danger of shrinking the fleet

The Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutters form the middle tier between smaller cutters and the Legend class. Intended replacement totals could fall short of the Reliance- and Famous-class fleet they are meant to replace. A program of twenty-five hulls would replace twenty-seven active medium-endurance cutters, or twenty-nine when earlier losses are counted. Ship quality cannot compensate fully if too few hulls remain to cover simultaneous missions.