USS ''Firebolt'' (PC-10) is the 10th member of the of coastal patrol boats of the

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 ...

. 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 gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

s, 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 Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

to operate in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

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 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 ...

. The subsequent inquiry board into the incident led to the removal of

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

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 ...

. 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 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 ...

. 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