Coast Guard cutter christened

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) -- The first large Coast Guard cutter to be built in 35 years was christened Saturday, more than a year after Hurricane Katrina damaged it in the shipyard during construction.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff marked Veterans Day by helping christen the 418-foot, 4,300-ton Bertholf, which the Coast Guard calls a "national security cutter." It is about a third larger than the class of ships it replaces.
The Coast Guard ordered the Bertholf and seven other deep-water cutters from Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin as part of a multibillion-dollar program to replace an aging fleet.
Rescue operations aren't the only use for the new high-endurance ships. The Coast Guard says they also play critical roles in fighting terrorism, drug smuggling and illegal immigration.
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