USCGC Point Welcome

USCGC Point Welcome (WPB-82329)
USCGC Point Welcome on patrol in Vietnamese waters
History
United States
NameUSCGC Point Welcome (WPB-82329)
NamesakePoint Welcome, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, U.S.
OwnerUnited States Coast Guard
BuilderCoast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, Maryland, U.S.
Commissioned14 February 1962
Decommissioned29 April 1970
Honors and
awards
Fate
  • Transferred to Republic of Vietnam as RVNS Nguyễn Hấn (HQ-717),
  • 29 April 1970[3]
General characteristics
TypePatrol Boat (WPB)
Displacement60 tons
Length82 ft 10 in (25.25 m)
Beam17 ft 7 in (5.36 m) max
Draft5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Propulsion2 × 600 hp (447 kW) Cummins diesel engines
Speed16.8 knots (31.1 km/h; 19.3 mph)
Range
  • 577 nmi (1,069 km) at 14.5 kn (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph)
  • 1,271 nmi (2,354 km) at 10.7 kn (19.8 km/h; 12.3 mph)
Complement
  • Domestic service : 8 men
  • Vietnam service : 2 officers, 8 men
Armament

USCGC Point Welcome (WPB-82329) was an 82-foot (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.

Coast Guard policy in 1962 was not to name cutters under 100 feet (30 m) in length, so she was designated as WPB-82329 when commissioned and renamed Point Welcome in January 1964 when the Coast Guard began naming cutters longer than 65 feet (20 m).[5][6] She was notable for being the victim of a friendly fire incident during the Vietnam War.

  1. ^ "Navy Unit Commendation". Mobile Riverine Force Association. Archived from the original on 22 January 2002. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  2. ^ "Meritorious Unit Commendation". Mobile Riverine Force Association. Archived from the original on 22 January 2002. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  3. ^ Scotti, p 212
  4. ^ William R. Wells II, The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun, Vietnam Magazine, August 1997
  5. ^ Coast Guard Historian website
  6. ^ Scheina, p 72