USCGC Point Mast
Subic Bay Naval Station , Philippines
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USCGC Point Mast (WPB-82316) |
Owner | United States Coast Guard |
Builder | Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, Maryland |
Commissioned | 10 May 1961 |
Decommissioned | 15 June 1970 |
Honors and awards | |
Fate | Transferred to Republic of Vietnam Navy as RVNS Đằm Thoại (HQ-721), 15 June 1970[1] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Patrol Boat (WPB) |
Displacement | 60 tons |
Length | 82 ft 10 in (25.25 m) |
Beam | 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m) max |
Draft | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Propulsion | 2 × 600 hp (447 kW) Cummins diesel engines |
Speed | 16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph) |
Range |
|
Complement |
|
Armament |
|
USCGC Point Mast (WPB-82316) was an 82-foot (25 m)
Construction and design details
Point Mast was built to accommodate an 8-man crew.[8] She was powered by two 600 hp (447 kW) VT600 Cummins diesel main drive engines and had two five-bladed 42 in (1.1 m) propellers. The main drive engines were later replaced by 800 hp (597 kW) VT800 Cummins engines. Water tank capacity was 1,550 U.S. gallons (5,900 L) and fuel tank capacity was 1,840 U.S. gallons (7,000 L) at 95% full.[6][8] Engine exhaust was ported through the transom rather than through a conventional stack and this permitted a 360 degree view from the bridge; a feature that was very useful in search and rescue work as well as a combat environment.[9]
The design specifications for Point Mast included a steel hull for durability and an aluminum superstructure and longitudinally framed construction was used to save weight. Ease of operation with a small crew size was possible because of the non-manned main drive engine spaces. Controls and alarms located on the
History
After delivery in 1961, Point Mast was assigned a homeport of Long Beach, California, where she served as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat.[6]
At the request of the
Point Mast was assigned to Division 11 of Squadron One to be based at An Thoi Naval Base on the southern tip of Phú Quốc island along with USCGC Point Banks, USCGC Point Clear, USCGC Point Comfort, USCGC Point Garnet, USCGC Point Glover, USCGC Point Grey, USCGC Point Marone and USCGC Point Young. After sea trials, the Division left Subic Bay for An Thoi on 17 July 1965 in the company of USS Floyd County, their temporary support ship. After almost two weeks at sea, they arrived at their new duty station on 1 August and began patrolling the waters in the Gulf of Thailand near the Cà Mau Peninsula.[17][18] Duty consisted of boarding Vietnamese junks to search for contraband weapons and ammunition and check the identification papers of persons on board. During September 1965, USS Krishna, a repair ship outfitted for the repair of WPB's relieved the USS Floyd County. Also during this time, the WPB's were directed to paint the hulls and superstructures formula 20 deck gray to cover the stateside white paint. This increased the effectiveness of night patrols.[19]
Point Mast assisted in the recovery of a damaged and sunken
On 15 June 1970, Point Mast was turned over to the Republic of Vietnam Navy as part of the Vietnamization of the war effort and recommissioned as RVNS Đằm Thoại (HQ-721).[1]
References
- ^ a b Scotti, p 211
- ^ "Presidential Unit Citation (Navy)". Mobile Riverine Force Association. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ "Navy Unit Commendation". Mobile Riverine Force Association. Archived from the original on 22 January 2002. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ "Meritorious Unit Commendation". Mobile Riverine Force Association. Archived from the original on 22 January 2002. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ a b William R. Wells II, The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun, Vietnam Magazine, August 1997
- ^ a b c d e f Coast Guard Historian website
- ^ a b Scheina, p 72
- ^ a b Scheina, p 71
- ^ a b c Scotti, p 165
- ^ a b c Scotti, p 166
- ^ Scotti, p 10
- ^ Scotti, p 219
- ^ Cutler, p 84
- ^ a b Larzelere, p 21
- ^ Cutler, p 82
- ^ Larzelere, p 15
- ^ Kelley, p 5-97
- ^ Larzelere, p 48
- ^ Cutler, p 85
- ^ Larzelere, p 96
- Bibliography
- ISBN 978-1-55750-196-7.
- Kelley, Michael P. (2002). Where We Were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press, Central Point, OR. ISBN 978-1-55571-625-7.
- Larzelere, Alex (1997). The Coast Guard at War, Vietnam, 1965-1975. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. ISBN 978-1-55750-529-3.
- Scheina, Robert L. (1990). U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946-1990. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. ISBN 978-0-87021-719-7.
- Scotti, Paul C. (2000). Coast Guard Action in Vietnam: Stories of Those Who Served. Hellgate Press, Central Point, OR. ISBN 978-1-55571-528-1.
- Wells II, William R. (August 1997). "The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun". Vietnam Magazine. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- Tulich, Eugene N. (1975). "The United States Coast Guard in South East Asia During the Vietnam Conflict". U.S. Coast Guard History Office. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
External links
- The Coast Guard's Vietnam Augusta State University website