USCGC Point Herron (WPB-82318)

USCGC Point Herron (WPB-82318) was an 82 ft (25 m) Point class cutter constructed at the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1961 for use as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat. Since the Coast Guard policy in 1961 was not to name cutters under 100 feet (30 m) in length, it was designated as WPB-82318 when commissioned and acquired the name Point Herron in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than 65 feet (20 m).[2][3]

History
United States
Name: USCGC Point Herron (WPB-82318)
Namesake: Point Herron, Kitsap County, Washington
Owner: United States Coast Guard
Builder: Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, Maryland
Laid down: 10 August 1960[1]
Commissioned: 14 June 1961[1]
Decommissioned: 27 July 1991[2]
Fate: Transferred to Mexico[2]
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:
Speed: 22.9 knots (42.4 km/h; 26.4 mph)
Range:
  • 542 nmi (1,004 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
  • 1,500 nmi (2,800 km) at 9.4 kn (17.4 km/h; 10.8 mph)
Complement: Domestic service : 8 men
Armament: 1961 • 1 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon[2]

Design and construction details

Point Herron was built to accommodate an 8-man crew.[4] She was the first in class to be powered by two 800 hp (597 kW) VT800 Cummins diesel main drive engines and had two five-bladed 42 in (1.1 m) propellers. 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.[2][4] After 1990 she was refit with 800 hp (597 kW) Caterpillar diesel main drive engines.[2] 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.[5]

The design specifications for Point Herron 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 bridge allowed one man operation of the cutter thus eliminating a live engineer watch in the engine room.[5] Because of design, four men could operate the cutter; however, the need for resting watchstanders brought the crew size to eight men for normal domestic service.[5] The screws were designed for ease of replacement and could be changed without removing the cutter from the water. A clutch-in idle speed of three knots helped to conserve fuel on lengthy patrols and an eighteen knot maximum speed could get the cutter on scene quickly.[6] Air-conditioned interior spaces were a part of the original design for the Point class cutter. Interior access to the deckhouse was through a watertight door on the starboard side aft of the deckhouse. The deckhouse contained the cabin for the officer-in-charge and the executive petty officer.[6] The deckhouse also included a small arms locker, scuttlebutt, a small desk and head. Access to the lower deck and engine room was down a ladder. At the bottom of the ladder was the galley, mess and recreation deck. A watertight door at the front of the mess bulkhead led to the main crew quarters which was ten feet long and included six bunks that could be stowed, three bunks on each side. Forward of the bunks was the crew's head complete with a compact sink, shower and commode.[6]

History

After delivery in 1961, Point Herron was assigned a homeport of Lewes, Delaware, where she served as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat until 1964.[2] In 1965 she was reassigned to Cape May, New Jersey. The following year she was transferred to Bay Shore, New York where she served from 1966 through 1981. From 1982 until decommissioning she was homeported at Babylon, New York.[2][7]

On 27 July 1991 Point Herron was decommissioned and transferred to Mexico.

References
  1. Scheina, p 69
  2. Coast Guard Historian website
  3. Scheina, p 72
  4. Scheina, p 71
  5. Scotti, p 165
  6. Scotti, p 166
  7. Scheina, p 74
Bibliography
  • 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.
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