USS ''Firebolt'' (PC-10) is the 10th member of the of coastal patrol boats of the United States Navy. She is a vessel with a crew of approximately 30 sailors, normally homeported at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek,

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 ...

. Her armament includes two Mk38 chain guns, two Mk19 automatic grenade launchers, and two machine guns, as well as six

Stinger missile The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles, and from helicopters as the Air-to-Ai ...

s. She was laid down by

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 ...

on 17 September 1993, launched on 10 June 1994, commissioned into the Navy on 10 June 1995, and she was decommissioned on 23 February 2022.

Persian Gulf service

In February 2003, ''Firebolt'' deployed to Bahrain to operate in the Persian Gulf in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

and

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. While there, she rotated crews so that she could remain on station without returning home for leave. In February 2004, ''Firebolt'' collided with a navigational buoy off the coast of Iraq. The subsequent inquiry board into the incident led to the removal of Lieutenant Commander Michael T. Sullivan from command. On 24 April 2004, ''Firebolt''s rigid-hulled inflatable boat attempted a boarding operation on a dhow that was approaching the

Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal Khor Al Amaya Oil Terminal is an Iraqi oil port. It lies southeast of the Al Faw peninsula in the Persian Gulf. Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal is commonly referred to as "KAAOT" and it, along with its sister terminal, the Al Basrah Oil Terminal AL ...

in Iraq. As the boarding team of seven pulled alongside, the dhow exploded in an apparent

suicide bombing A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

. Two sailors and one Coast Guardsman were killed when the explosion flipped the boat over, dumping her crew into the water. The Coast Guardsman was a member of the embarked Law Enforcement Detachment and was the first Coast Guardsman to die in action since the Vietnam War. The survivors were picked up by an

S-70B-2 Seahawk The Sikorsky S-70 is an American medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the United States Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Black Hawk and spawning a ...

helicopter from the Australian frigate . On 26 April 2021, ''Firebolt,'' in formation with USCGC ''Baranof'', fired warning shots at several Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) after the smaller boats closed to within 68 yards despite warnings via radio and loud-hailer. The U.S. ships were performing routine maritime security patrols in the international waters of the North Persian Gulf.

Photos

Image:USS_Firebolt_(PC-10)_2.jpg, USS ''Firebolt'' at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Firebolt Cyclone-class patrol ships Patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in Lockport, Louisiana Maritime incidents in 2004 Ship bombings 1994 ships