 USCGC Knight Island, commissioned in 1992, is the second newest Island-class boat. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Island class |
| Builders | Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Cape-class |
| Succeeded by | Sentinel-class |
| Built | 1985–1992[1] |
| In service | 1985–present |
| Completed | 49 |
| Active | 3 |
| Lost | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Patrol boat |
| Displacement | 168 tons |
| Length | 110 ft (34 m) |
| Beam | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Draft | 7.3 ft (2.2 m)[3] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 29.5 kn (54.6 km/h; 33.9 mph) |
| Range | 2,900 nmi (5,400 km; 3,300 mi) |
| Endurance | 5 days |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 1 – Cutter Boat Medium (Yamaha 90 HP outboard engine) |
| Complement | 16 (2 officers, 14 enlisted) |
| Sensors and processing systems | AN/SPS-73 radar |
| Armament | |
| Aircraft carried | None |
The Island-class patrol boat is a class of cutters of the United States Coast Guard. 49 cutters of the class were built, of which 3 remain in commission. Their hull numbers are WPB-1301 through WPB-1349.[4]
The 110 feet (34 metres) Island-class patrol boats are a U.S. Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed Vosper Thornycroft patrol boat built for Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore.[3] With excellent range and seakeeping capabilities, the Island class, all named after U.S. islands, replaced the older 95 feet (29 metres) Cape-class cutters. These cutters are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment, and are used in support of the Coast Guard's maritime homeland security, migrant interdiction, drug interdiction, defense operations, fisheries enforcement, and search and rescue missions.[5] The cutters have 10 tons worth of space and weight reservations for additional weapons.[6]
The 58 ordered Sentinel-class cutters, selected under the Fast Response Cutter (FRC) program, are slated to replace the Island class. Six Island class cutters (USCGC Adak, Aquidneck, Baranof, Maui, Monomoy, and Wrangell) were stationed in Manama, Bahrain, as a part of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia to provide the Navy's Fifth Fleet with combat ready assets[7] but all have been replaced by Fast Response Cutters.[8]
As built, these vessels were all 110 feet (34 m) in length. In 2002 as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program, the Coast Guard began refitting some of these vessels, adding 13 feet (4.0 m) to the stern to make room for a high-speed stern launching ramp, and replacing the superstructure so that these vessels had enough room to accommodate mixed-gender crews. The refit added about 15 tons to the vessel's displacement, and reduced its maximum speed by approximately one knot. The eight cutters[9] modified were;
In 2005, then-Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thomas H. Collins made the decision to stop the contractor's conversion at eight hulls when sea trials revealed intractable structural flaws.[10][11]
In August 2006, a Lockheed Martin engineer went public with allegations that the company and the Coast Guard were ignoring serious security flaws in the refitting project, and that they were likely to repeat the same mistakes on similar projects. The flaws included blind spots in watch cameras, FLIR equipment not suitable for operating under extreme temperatures, and the use of non-shielded cables in secure communications systems, a violation of TEMPEST standards.[12]
In late November 2006 all eight of the 123 ft (37 m) WPBs were taken out of service due to debilitating problems with their lengthened hulls – all eight hulls were cracking when driven at high speed in heavy seas. These as well as other issues – such as C4ISR problems – drove the program $60 million over budget, triple the original bid for the eight boats converted. The 41 unmodified 110s are now being pressed harder to take up the slack.[13] The eight modified were moved to the United States Coast Guard Yard and moored in Arundel Cove.[14]
The U.S. Coast Guard has transferred several ships to foreign navies and coast guards via the Defense Security Cooperation Agency's Office of International Acquisition's Excess Defense Articles Program (EDA).[15]
In May 2023, the United States government pledged to provide the Philippines at least two Island-class patrol vessels which was agreed by both sides, as it was offered alongside two Marine Protector-class patrol boats and three Lockheed C-130H Hercules aircraft during President Bongbong Marcos' visit to Washington D.C.[16][17] The recipient of the transferred vessels will be the Philippine Navy. [18][19]
| image | name | commissioned | decommissioned | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Farallon (WPB-1301) | 21 February 1986[27] | ||
| Manitou (WPB-1302) | 24 January 1986[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | ||
 |
Matagorda (WPB-1303) | 24 April 1986[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | |
 |
Maui (WPB-1304) | 9 May 1986[27] | 22 March 2022 in Manama, Bahrain[29] | |
| Monhegan (WPB-1305) | 16 June 1986[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | ||
| Nunivak (WPB-1306) | 2 May 1986[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | ||
 |
Ocracoke (WPB-1307) | 4 August 1986[27] | transferred to Ukraine, renamed P192 Sumy | |
| Vashon (WPB-1308) | 15 August 1986[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | ||
 |
Aquidneck (WPB-1309) | 26 September 1986[27] | 15 June 2021 in Manama, Bahrain[30] | Transferred to Greece |
 |
Mustang (WPB-1310) | 29 August 1986[27] | ||
 |
Naushon (WPB-1311) | 3 October 1986[27] | Homeport - Homer, Alaska | |
 |
Sanibel (WPB-1312) | 14 November 1986[27] | ||
 |
Edisto (WPB-1313) | 7 January 1987[27] | ||
 |
Sapelo (WPB-1314) | 24 February 1987[27] | ||
| Mantinicus (WPB-1315) | 16 April 1987[27] | |||
 |
Nantucket (WPB-1316) | 4 June 1987[27] | 8 Mar 2017[31] | |
| Attu (WPB-1317) | 9 May 1988[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | ||
 |
Baranof (WPB-1318) | 20 May 1988[27] | ||
 |
Chandeleur (WPB-1319) | 8 June 1988[27] | ||
 |
Chincoteague (WPB-1320) | 8 August 1988[27] | ||
 |
Cushing (WPB-1321) | 8 August 1988[27] | 8 Mar 2017[31] | transferred to Ukraine, renamed P190 Sloviansk, sunk due to Russian action 3 March 2022 |
 |
Cuttyhunk (WPB-1322) | 15 October 1988[27] | 5 May 2022 in Port Angeles, Washington.[32] | |
 |
Drummond (WPB-1323) | 19 October 1988[27] | transferred to Ukraine, renamed P191 Starobilsk | |
| Key Largo (WPB-1324) | 24 December 1988[27] | 27 February 2023 | ||
| Metompkin (WPB-1325) | 12 January 1989[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | ||
 |
Monomoy (WPB-1326) | 16 December 1988[27] | 22 March 2022 in Manama, Bahrain.[29] | Transferred to Greece |
 |
Orcas (WPB-1327) | 14 April 1989[27] | 23 April 2024 in Coos Bay, Oregon.[33] | |
 |
Padre (WPB-1328) | 24 February 1989[28] | Directed to be removed from operational service November 2006 | |
 |
Sitkanak (WPB-1329) | 31 March 1989[27] | ||
 |
Tybee (WPB-1330) | 9 May 1989[27] | ||
 |
Washington (WPB-1331) | 9 June 1989[27] | transferred to Ukraine, renamed P193 Fastiv | |
 |
Wrangell (WPB-1332) | 24 June 1989[27] | 22 March 2022 in Manama, Bahrain[29] | Transferred to Greece |
 |
Adak (WPB-1333) | 17 November 1989[27] | 15 June 2021 in Manama, Bahrain[30] | Transferred to Greece |
 |
Liberty (WPB-1334) | 4 August 1989[27] | ||
 |
Anacapa (WPB-1335) | 13 January 1990[27] | 26 April 2024 in Port Angeles, Washington[34] | |
 |
Kiska (WPB-1336) | ca. 1 December 1989 (delivery date)[27] | transferred to Ukraine, renamed P194 Vyacheslav Kubrak | |
 |
Assateague (WPB-1337) | ca. 1 January 1990 (delivery date)[27] | ||
 |
Grand Isle (WPB-1338) | ca. 14 December 1990 (delivery date)[27] | transferred to Pakistan | |
 |
Key Biscayne (WPB-1339) | 27 April 1991[27] | transferred to Pakistan | |
 |
Jefferson Island (WPB-1340) | 16 August 1991[27] | 19 September 2014 in Portland, Maine. | transferred to Georgia (country) |
 |
Kodiak Island (WPB-1341) | 21 June 1991[27] | ||
 |
Long Island (WPB-1342) | 27 August 1991[27] | transferred to Costa Rica, renamed Juan Rafael Mora Porras | |
 |
Bainbridge Island (WPB-1343) | ca. 14 June 1991 (delivery date)[27] | purchased by Sea Shepherd, renamed MVSharpie | |
 |
Block Island (WPB-1344) | ca. 19 July 1991 (delivery date)[27] | purchased by Sea Shepherd, renamed MY Jules Verne and later MVJohn Paul DeJoria | |
 |
Staten Island (WPB-1345) | ca. 23 August 1991 (delivery date)[27] | transferred to Georgia | |
 |
Roanoke Island (WPB-1346) | ca. 27 September 1991 (delivery date)[27] | transferred to Costa Rica, renamed Gen. Jose M. Canas Escamilla | |
| Pea Island (WPB-1347) | ca. 1 November 1992 (delivery date)[27] | purchased by Sea Shepherd, renamed MY Farley Mowat | ||
|
Knight Island (WPB-1348) | ca. 6 December 1991 (delivery date)[27] | ||
 |
Galveston Island (WPB-1349) | ca. 17 January 1992 (delivery date)[27] |
There are three variants of the Island Class. The A & B classes use two Paxman-Valenta 16 CM engines as there propulsion plants while the C class uses two Caterpillar 3516s.
The new Island Class of 110-foot Patrol Boat (WPB) was designed with "a ten-ton space and weight reservation for additional weapon systems."
In the midst of a fleet transition from WPBs to WPCs, the PATFORSWA squadron currently consists of six 154' Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters, a cutter relief crew, and a 150-member mission support detachment in Bahrain.
The suit contends that Lockport-based Bollinger exaggerated the structural hull strength of the eight boats it had contracted to lengthen from 110 feet to 123 feet.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
The Coast Guard formally transferred the two patrol boats – the former cutters Long Island and Roanoke Island – to Costa Rica through the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) Program in October 2017.Archived 2018-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
