The ''Cyclone''-class patrol ships are a class of
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
coastal
patrol boat
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...
s. 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
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...
operations outlined in the Navy's strategy, "Forward...From the Sea." These ships also provide full mission support for
U.S. Navy SEALs
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...
and other
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
forces.
The ''Cyclone''-class ships are assigned to
Naval Special Warfare. Of the 14 ships, nine originally operated out of the
Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...
,
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, and four originally operated from the
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado (NAB Coronado) is a US naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, California. The base, situated on the Silver Strand, between San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, sup ...
. These ships provide the
United States Naval Special Warfare Command
The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC), also known as (NAVSPECWARCOM and WARCOM), is the naval component of United States Special Operations Command, the unified command responsible for overseeing and conducting the nation's ...
with a fast, reliable platform that can respond to emergent requirements in a
low intensity conflict
A low-intensity conflict (LIC) is a military conflict, usually localised, between two or more state or non-state groups which is below the intensity of conventional war. It involves the state's use of military forces applied selectively and with ...
environment. Three ships were decommissioned and loaned to the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
to be returned to the Navy in 2011, while lead ship ''Cyclone'' was transferred to the
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...
. ''Shamal'', ''Tornado'', and ''Zephyr'' were returned to the U.S. Navy in 2011 and placed back in commission.
The ships that were on loan to the U.S. Coast Guard were used in a variety of roles, including search and rescue, interception, boarding, and inspection of foreign freighters arriving at United States 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, , 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.
As of 2015, ten of the U.S. Navy's 13 ''Cyclone''-class patrol ships were deployed to
Naval Support Activity Bahrain
Naval Support Activity Bahrain (or NSA Bahrain) is a United States Navy base, situated in the Kingdom of Bahrain and is home to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and United States Fifth Fleet.
Occupying the original territory of the British Royal ...
in the Persian Gulf, to deal with a potential conflict with Iran. The remaining three ships of the class are slated to be transferred to
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a military airfield (Admi ...
in Florida to primarily perform drug interdiction duties with
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (also known as USNAVSO) is the naval element of United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). Its areas of operation include South America, Central America, the Caribbean and surrounding waters. Its headquarters ...
(USNAVSO) /
U.S. Fourth Fleet.
Development and design
In the 1980s, the U.S. Navy developed a requirement for a replacement for the Vietnam War-era PB Mk III small () patrol boats used to transport SEAL teams. The first attempt to replace the PB Mk IIIs led to an order being placed in 1984 for a stealthy
surface effect ship
A Surface Effect Ship (SES) or Sidewall Hovercraft is a watercraft that has both an air cushion, like a hovercraft, and twin hulls, like a catamaran. When the air cushion is in use, a small portion of the twin hulls remains in the water. When the ...
, the Special Warfare Craft, Medium, or SWCM, with a length of about and a displacement of . The SWCM, nicknamed "Sea Viking", was a failure, however, and construction of the prototype was abandoned in 1987.
[Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 627.][Moore 1985, p. 734.][Prézelin and Baker 1990, p. 828.]
After the failure of the innovative SWCM, it was decided to replace the PB Mk IIIs with a simple development of an existing design rather than wait for an entirely new design to be produced and developed.
Bollinger Shipyards
Bollinger Shipyards is an American constructor of ships, workboats and patrol vessels.
Its thirteen shipyards and forty drydocks are located in Louisiana and Texas. Its drydocks range in capacity from vessels of 100 tons displacement to 22,000 to ...
proposed a development of the
Vosper Thornycroft
VT Group is a privately held United States defense and services company, with its origins in a former British shipbuilding group, previously known as Vosper Thornycroft. The British part of VT Group was integrated into Babcock International in t ...
built for
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
and
Kenya
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, ...
, and this was selected by the U.S. Navy.
At , the new design, at first designated PBC (Patrol Boat Coastal), and later PC, was much larger than the boats that they were to replace. It was planned to build 16 PBCs to replace the 17 PB Mk IIIs, with first deliveries expected in 1991. The program was stopped at 14 boats, however, as it was realised that the PC was too large for the SEAL delivery role.
[Baker 1998, pp. 1030–1031.]
Operational career
Following the 2003
occupation of Iraq Occupation of Iraq or Iraq occupation may refer to:
* Occupation of Iraq (2003–2011) (occupation by American, British and Italian forces)
* Mandatory Iraq (Iraq under British Administration, 1921–1932)
* Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)
...
, the ''Cyclone''-class boats were deployed to guard Iraq's offshore oil terminal.
[ When Iraq took over responsibility for the terminal's defense, in 2005, ten of the ''Cyclone''-class boats remained in the Persian Gulf, performing other patrol duties.
On 30 March 2022, the ]Royal Bahrain Naval Force
The Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) (previously known as Bahrain Defense Force, Naval Branch) is the maritime branch of the Bahrain Defence Force. The current Commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force is Rear Admiral Mohammed Yousif al-Asam. ...
s commissioned five ''Cyclone''-class patrol vessels that were decommissioned by the USN at Manama.
Ships in class
''Zephyr'', ''Shamal'', and ''Tornado'' were homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
(Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
) but shifted homeport to Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a military airfield (Admi ...
(Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
)."U.S. Navy Trading Destroyers for PCs in 5th Fleet." ''UNSI News.'' Published 3 Jul 2013. Accessed 8 Jul 2013.
/ref> All three were decommissioned in February 2021. ''Zephyr'' and ''Shamal'' are set to be scrapped while ''Tornado'' will be made available for sale to a foreign military.
Users
Current
* (1)
* (5)
* (5)
Past
* (5 returned to U.S. Navy)
See also
* Mark V Special Operations Craft
The Mark V SOC (Special Operations Craft) was a marine security, patrol, and special forces insertion boat used by the United States Navy and manufactured by VT Halter Marine Inc (Gulfport, Mississippi). It was introduced into service with the U ...
* Special Operations Craft – Riverine (SOC-R)
__NOTOC__
Special Operations Craft – Riverine is a boat used by the United States Navy to perform short-range insertion and extraction of special operations forces in river and near-shore environments. It replaced the Patrol Boat, River, and the ...
* Mark VI patrol boat
The Mark VI is a class of patrol boat in service with the United States Navy, designed to patrol riverine and littoral waters. The first two Mark VI boats were delivered to Coastal Riverine Group TWO in September 2015. Two boats were forward depl ...
References
Sources
* Baker, A.D. ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1998–1999''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1998. .
* Gardiner, Robert and Stephen Chumbley. ''Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995''. Annapolis, Maryland USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. .
* Moore, John. ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1985. .
* Prézelin, Bernard and Baker, A.D. ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1990/1991''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1990. .
External links
U.S. Navy Fact Sheet
- PC
Navy Times article on repairs to the class.
{{Cyclone class patrol coastal ship
Patrol boat classes
Naval ships of the United States
Patrol vessels of the United States