Cyclone-class patrol ship

USS Hurricane, USS Typhoon and USS Chinook, in the Persian Gulf in March 2015.
Class overview
Builders	Bollinger Shipyards
Operators	Royal Bahrain Naval Force  Egyptian Navy  Philippine Navy  United States Navy (former)  U.S. Coast Guard (former)
In commission	1993–present
Planned	16
Completed	14
Cancelled	2
Active	5 (Royal Bahrain Naval Forces) 3 (Egyptian Navy) 3 (Philippine Navy)
Retired	2 - to be scrapped 1 - available for sale to foreign military
General characteristics
Type	Coastal patrol ship
Displacement	328.5 long tons (333.8 t) (light load) 331 long tons (336 t)
Length	179 ft (55 m)
Beam	25 ft (7.6 m)
Draft	7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Installed power	3,350 shp (2,500 kW)
Propulsion	4 × Paxman 16RP200- 1-CM diesel engines 4 × shafts, Reintjes reverse reduction gear box[1]
Speed	35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	2,000–2,500 nmi (3,700–4,600 km; 2,300–2,900 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Crew	4 officers, 24 enlisted personnel
Armament	2 × 25 mm (0.98 in) MK 38 autocannon 2 × .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber machine guns 2 × 40 mm (1.6 in) MK 19 automatic grenade launchers 2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M240B machine guns 6 × FIM-92 Stinger SAMs 2 × MK-60 quadruple BGM-176B Griffin B missile launchers[2]

The Cyclone-class patrol ships are a class of coastal patrol boats, formerly in service with the United States Navy. Most of these ships, named for weather phenomenae, were launched between 1992 and 1994. The primary mission of these ships is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance, an important aspect of littoral operations outlined in the Navy's strategy, "Forward...From the Sea." These ships also provided full mission support for U.S. Navy SEALs and other special operations forces. Several ships of the class were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for a time and then later returned.

The Cyclone-class ships were assigned to Naval Special Warfare. Of the 14 ships, nine originally operated out of the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Norfolk, Virginia, and four originally operated from the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. These ships provide the United States Naval Special Warfare Command with a fast, reliable platform that can respond to emergency requirements in a low intensity conflict environment. Six ships were decommissioned and loaned to the Coast Guard. Lead ship Cyclone was on loan from 2000 to 2004, then transferred to the Philippine Navy. Monsoon was loaned to the USCG in 2004 and Tempest in 2005, with both then returned in 2008. Shamal, Tornado, and Zephyr were on loan from 2004 to 2011. Upon return to the U.S. Navy they were all placed back in commission.

The ships that were on loan to the U.S. Coast Guard were used in a variety of roles, including search and rescue, interception, boarding, and inspection of foreign freighters arriving at United States ports.

In September 2010, the remaining ships of the class were recalled due to fatigue damage to their hulls. The class was designed for a lifespan of roughly 15 years. All but the newest member of the class, USS Tornado (PCC-14), have been in service longer.

As of 2015, ten of the U.S. Navy's 13 Cyclone-class patrol ships were deployed to Naval Support Activity Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, to deal with a potential conflict with Iran.^[3] The remaining three ships of the class are slated to be transferred to Naval Station Mayport in Florida to primarily perform drug interdiction duties with U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) / U.S. Fourth Fleet.^[4]

In March 2023, the last of the ships in this class were decommissioned and either designated for sale to a foreign military via FMS or due to be scrapped.^[5]