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USCGC Point Kennedy

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USCGC Point Kennedy (WPB-82320) departs Subic Bay Navy Base, Philipines bound for Cat Lo Navy Base, RVN, 18 February 1966.
Class overview
Builderslist error: <br /> list (help)
Coast Guard Yard 1960-63, 1970;
J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. 1966-67
OperatorsUnited States Coast Guard
Preceded byCape class 95' patrol boat
Succeeded byMarine Protector class 87' patrol boat
Built1960-1970
In commission1960-2003
Completed79
Retired79
History
USA
NameUSCGC Point Kennedy (WPB-82320)
OwnerUnited States Coast Guard
BuilderCoast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, Maryland
Commissioned19 July 1961
Decommissioned16 March 1970
Honors and
awards		Vietnam Service Medal with 2 silver service stars
FateTransferred to Republic of Vietnam Navy as RVNS Huỳnh Văn Ngan (HQ-713), 16 March 1970
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)
Rangelist error: <br /> list (help)
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)
Complementlist error: <br /> list (help)
Domestic service : 8 men
Vietnam service : 2 officers, 8 men
Armamentlist error: <br /> list (help)
1961
• 1 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Vietnam service
• 5 × M2 Browning machine guns
• 1 × 81 mm M29 mortar[1]

USCGC Point Kennedy (WPB-82320) was an 82 foot 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 in length, it was designated as WPB-82320 when commissioned and acquired the name Point Kennedy in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than 65 feet.[2][3]

Construction details

Point Kennedy was built with a mild steel hull and an aluminum superstructure that could accommodate an 8 man crew. She was powered by two 600 horsepower VT600 Cummins diesel main drive engines and had two five bladed 42 inches (1.1 m) propellers. The main drive engines were later replaced by 800 horsepower VT800 Cummins engines. Longitudinally framed construction was used to save weight. 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. Frozen food storage was 23 cubic feet (0.65 m3). Accommodations for a 13 man crew were installed for Vietnam service.[2][3][4][5]

History

After delivery in 1961, Point Kennedy was assigned a homeport of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she served as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat.[2]

At the request of the United States Navy, in October 1965, she was alerted for service in Vietnam and assigned to Coast Guard Squadron One in support of Operation Market Time along with 8 other Point class cutters.[6][7] While the crew completed overseas training and weapons qualifications at Coast Guard Island and Camp Parks, California, Point Kennedy was loaded onto a merchant ship, and transported to Subic Bay, Philippines arriving in January 1966 where she was refit for combat service.[2] Shipyard modifications included installation of new single-sideband radio equipment, additional floodlights, small arms lockers, bunks, additional sound-powered phone circuits, and the addition of 4 M-2 machine guns. The original Oerlikon 20 mm cannon was replaced with a combination over-under 50 caliber machine gun/81mm trigger fired mortar that had been developed by the Coast Guard for service in Vietnam.[1][8][9][2] For service in Vietnam, two officers were added to the crew complement to add seniority to the crew in the mission of interdicting vessels at sea.[10]

Point Kennedy was assigned to Division 13 of Squadron One to be based at Cat Lo Navy Base near Vung Tau, along with Point Cypress, Point Grace, Point Hudson, Point Jefferson, Point League, Point Partridge, Point Slocum and Point White.[11] After sea trials, the Division left Subic Bay for Cat Lo on 19 February 1966 in the company of USS Forster (DER-334), their temporary support ship. They arrived at their new duty station on 23 February and began patrolling the coastal waters near the Rung Sat Special Zone.[12][13] Duty consisted of boarding Vietnamese junks to search for contraband weapons and ammunition and check the identification papers of persons on board.

During May 1967 a hydrographic survey small boat from the USS Maury was hit by enemy fire and was sinking. Point Kennedy assisted with damage control work and provided suppression fire while removing the small boat and Maury from the scene.[14]

As a part of the Vietnamization Program South Vietnamese Navy crewmen were assigned for training purposes beginning in February 1969. After the crew of Point Kennedy trained a Vietnamese replacement crew, she was turned over to the Republic of Vietnam Navy as a part of the Vietnamization Program and recommissioned as RVNS Huỳnh Văn Ngan (HQ-713), on 16 March 1970.[2][15]

References

Notes
  1. ^ a b William R. Wells II, The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun, Vietnam Magazine, August 1997
  2. ^ a b c d e f Coast Guard Historian website
  3. ^ a b Scheina, p 72
  4. ^ Scotti, p 10
  5. ^ Scotti, p 219
  6. ^ Larzelere, p 72
  7. ^ Cutler, p 84
  8. ^ Larzelere, p 21
  9. ^ Cutler, p 82
  10. ^ Larzelere, p 15
  11. ^ Kelley, p 5-95
  12. ^ Kelley, p 5-450
  13. ^ Larzelere, p 80
  14. ^ Tulich, p 7
  15. ^ Scotti, p 210
Bibliography
  • Cutler, Thomas J. (2000). Brown Water, Black Berets: Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. 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. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • Tulich, Eugene N. (1975). "The United States Coast Guard in South East Asia During the Vietnam Conflict". U.S. Coast Guard History Office. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

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