Cyclone class coastal patrol ship

Career (US)
Builder:	Bollinger Shipyards
General characteristics
Displacement:	331 tons (336 metric tons) full load
Length:	179 ft (55 m)
Beam:	25 ft (7.6 m)
Propulsion:	Four Paxman diesels; four shafts; 3,350 shaft horsepower (2.50 MW)
Speed:	35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h)
Endurance:	2000-2500nm (@12knots, with transit fuel reserve)
Crew:	Four officers, 24 enlisted personnel
Armament:	2 × MK 38 25 mm autocannon 5 × .50 caliber machine guns 2 × MK 19 40 mm automatic grenade launchers 2 × M240B machine guns 6 × FIM-92 Stinger SAMs

USS Hurricane (PC-3) moves past USS Whirlwind (PC-11) and an unidentified Cyclone-class patrol ship at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, 2005.

One of two 25mm autocannons carried by the Cyclone class patrol ships (USS Chinook shown)

The Cyclone class patrol ships are a class of United States Navy coastal patrol boats. Most of these ships were launched between 1992 and 1994.

The primary mission of these ships is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance, an important aspect of littoral operations outlined in the Navy's strategy, "Forward...From the Sea." These ships also provide full mission support for Navy SEALs and other special operations forces. The Cyclone class ships are assigned to Naval Special Warfare. Of the thirteen ships, nine originally operated out of the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Norfolk, Virginia, and four originally operated from the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. These ships provide the Naval Special Warfare Command with a fast, reliable platform that can respond to emergent requirements in a low intensity conflict environment.

Three hulls have been decommissioned and loaned to the United States Coast Guard to be returned to the Navy in 2011 and one was transferred to the Philippine Navy. Of the remaining ten, five are homeported at Little Creek and five are homeported in Bahrain as part of a rotating forward deployment.

The hulls on loan to the US Coast Guard are used in a variety of roles, including search and rescue, interception, boarding, and inspection of foreign freighters arriving at US ports.

In September 2010, the decision was made to recall all of the remaining ships of the class due to fatigue damage to their hulls. The class was designed for a lifespan of roughly 15 years. All but the newest member of the class, Tornado, have been in service longer. The vessels will be inspected and a decision will be made whether to refit them or to decommission the ships.

Ships

Ship	Hull No.	Commissioned– Decommissioned	Homeport	Status	NVR Page
Cyclone	PC-1	1993–2000	—	Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in February 2000 as USCGC Cyclone (WPC-1), transferred to the Philippine Navy in March 2004. Now BRP Mariano Alvarez (PS-38).	PC-1
Tempest	PC-2	1993–	Little Creek, VA	Active	PC-2
Hurricane	PC-3	1993–	Little Creek	Active	PC-3
Monsoon	PC-4	1994–	Little Creek	Active	PC-4
Typhoon	PC-5	1994–	Manama, Bahrain	Active	PC-5
Sirocco	PC-6	1994–	Manama, Bahrain	Active	PC-6
Squall	PC-7	1994–	Little Creek	Active	PC-7
Zephyr	PC-8	1994–2004	Pascagoula, Mississippi	On loan to the U.S. Coast Guard as USCGC Zephyr (WPC-8)	PC-8
Chinook	PC-9	1995–	Manama, Bahrain	Active	PC-9
Firebolt	PC-10	1995–	Manama, Bahrain	Active	PC-10
Whirlwind	PC-11	1995–	Manama, Bahrain	Active	PC-11
Thunderbolt	PC-12	1995–	Little Creek	Active	PC-12
Shamal	PC-13	1996–2004	Pascagoula, Mississippi	On loan to the U.S. Coast Guard as USCGC Shamal (WPC-13)	PC-13
Tornado	PC-14	2000–2004	Pascagoula, Mississippi	On loan to the U.S. Coast Guard as USCGC Tornado (WPC-14)	PC-14

Users

•  Philippines
  • Philippine Navy
•  United States
  • United States Navy
  • United States Coast Guard

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

External links

• US Navy Fact Sheet
• PC-1 Cyclone class Patrol Coastal Craft (globalsecurity.org)
• WPC-179 Cyclone Patrol Coastal Craft (globalsecurity.org)
• Program Executive Office, Ships - PC
• FAS.org
• Navy Times article on repairs to the class.