An inside look at a new Coast Guard cutter

The Coast Guard's Rollin Fritch is the first cutter of its kind to be based outside the Caribbean. WHYY got an exclusive look inside the vessel during a visit to the Port of Wilmington.

With a crew of more than 20, the patrol boat has lots of different responsibilities from search and rescue missions to intercepting smugglers. U.S. Sen. from Delaware Tom Carper got a tour of the boat recently while it was docked at the Port of Wilmington.

"They have remarkable technology in their ability to go out to sea for extended periods of time and find things that need to be found, stop things that need to be stopped from coming in our country," Carper said following the tour.