The small unit riverine craft (SURC) is rigid-hull, armed and armored

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 ...

used by the

U.S. Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary warfare, exped ...

and

U.S. 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 o ...

to maintain control of rivers and inland waterways. They are similar in size and purpose to the much older

Patrol Boat, River Patrol Boat, Riverine, or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid- hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until 1975. They were deployed in a force that grew to 250 boats, the most common craft in the ...

vessels used during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. According to the Navy, “The primary mission of the SURC is to provide tactical mobility and a limited weapons platform for the ground combat element of a Marine Air Ground Task Force in littoral and riverine environments.”Wavelengths Online. “Small Unit Riverine Craft”, May 17, 2004
The boat's secondary mission includes “command and control, reconnaissance, logistic/resupply, medevac, counter-drug operations, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, and noncombatant evacuation operations.” The boats are built by

Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...

Naval & Maritime Integrated Systems, with a contract to build up to 100 boats. Raytheon's contract partners are

SAFE Boats International Founded in 1997, SAFE Boats International is an American-based boat manufacturer. SAFE stands for Secure All-around Flotation Equipped. Their headquarters is near Seattle in neighboring Bremerton, Washington. SAFE Boats International manufacture ...

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...

and Boat Master of

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

. The boat is transportable by

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

aircraft and can be launched from its trailer at lakeside.

History

The boats were first deployed to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and were used there by the now deactivated U.S. Marine Corps' Small Craft Company, being later turned over to the

United States Navy Riverine Squadron The Riverine Squadrons of the United States Navy are elements of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). According to the Navy: “The Navy’s Riverine force focuses on conducting Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation ...

s - units of the

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) serves as the single functional command to centrally manage current and future readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of the United States Navy's 21,000 expeditionary warfare, expeditionary ...

(NECC) that used the boats to patrol strategic areas of Iraq. On Sept. 25 2013, the United States transferred six SURC patrol boats to the Philippine Marine Corps to provide a platform for command and control, reconnaissance, logistic/resupply, medical evacuation, counter-drug operations, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping and non-combatant evacuation operations & will be deployed to augment sea-based forces addressing terrorism and lawlessness. It also has the capability to turn 180 degrees in less than three boat lengths and accelerate to in less than 15 seconds.

Other characteristics

References

{{reflist

External links

U.S. Navy: “USMC Family of Small Craft”
United States Marine Corps equipment Equipment of the United States Navy Patrol vessels of the United States Navy Riverine warfare Military boats Landing craft

History

Other characteristics

See also

References

External links