Point class cutter

Naming the class

Following the Coast Guard custom in place in 1960 of not naming vessels under 100 feet in length, the first 44 Point-class patrol boats were only identified by their hull number using the scheme of WPB-823xx, where 82 was the design length of the hull. Beginning in January 1964, the Coast Guard started naming all vessels 65 feet in length and over; the 82-foot patrol boats were all given geographical "Point" names.

Design and production

The design of the 82-foot patrol boat actually began in the early 1950s with the introduction of the 95-foot patrol boat, which was introduced to replace the aging wooden gasoline powered 83-foot patrol boats that were produced during World War II. The 95-foot patrol boat was originally developed as a search and rescue boat to replace the less capable 83-foot boat. With the outbreak of the Korean War and the requirement by the Coast Guard to secure port facilities in the United States under the Moss-Magnuson Act, the complete replacement of the 83-foot boat was deferred and the 95-foot boat was used for harbor patrols. With the goal of reducing manning requirements in mind, the Point-class patrol boat was designed to accommodate an eight-man crew, which was a reduction from the 15-man crews of the Cape-class cutter. Production started in early 1960 at the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, Maryland and continued through late December 1963, producing 44 boats. The first 30 boats were powered by two 600 horsepower (450 kW) Cummins diesel engines; except for 82314 (later Point Thatcher), which was powered by two 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) gas turbine engines with controllable pitch propellers and 82318 (later Point Herron) which had two 800 horsepower (600 kW) Cummins diesels installed. Beginning in March 1962 with 82331 (later Point Marone), all boats were equipped with two 800-horsepower Cummins diesel engines. All were equipped with twin propellers. Eventually all boats were upgraded to the same 800-horsepower main engines used in the later production. In 1966 a contract for the production of 25 additional boats was awarded to J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. of Tacoma, Washington and all 25 were equipped with the twin 800-horsepower engines of the 1962 and later Yard production. In 1970, the last nine boats of the class were produced at the Yard utilizing the 800-horsepower design of the rest of the class. Those boats in service in 1990 were refit with Caterpillar diesel main drive engines. 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.

The design specifications for the 82-foot cutter included a steel hull for durability and an aluminum superstructure 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. 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. Berthing spaces were provided for 13 so that requirements were met for passengers and extra wartime manning needs. 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 18-knot maximum speed could get the cutter on scene quickly. Already part of the design, crews stationed in Vietnam found the air-conditioned interior especially helpful. 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 but for Vietnam service the spaces quartered the commanding officer, the executive officer and chief boatswain's mate as well as the chief engineman. 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, which also included three bunks for first-class petty officers. A watertight door at the front of the mess bulkhead led to the main crew quarters which was 10 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.

Domestic service

A total of 79 Point-class cutters were used for law enforcement and search-and-rescue patrol boats beginning in 1960. The cutters were mostly co-located with Coast Guard stations along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. Point-class cutters were phased out in the late 1990s by the introduction of the Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat with the last Point-class cutter being decommissioned in 2003.

Vietnam service

At the request of the U.S Navy, 26 of the Point-class cutters were transported to Vietnam to serve with Coast Guard crews under U.S. Navy control during Operation Market Time. Coast Guard Squadron One was commissioned at Alameda, California 27 May 1965 and immediately began training and preparation for overseas deployment. All cutters were later given to the South Vietnamese Navy as part of the Vietnamization of the war effort.

Replacement

When planning the replacement for the Point-class cutter, designers took into consideration the need for different berthing arrangements that would accommodate a mixed-gender crew. Another important feature lacking on the Point-class cutter that was desired on a replacement was a stern launch ramp for the rapid deployment of the cutter's small boat for use in search-and-rescue missions and in law-enforcement work. Both of these requirements were designed into the Marine Protector-class that began replacing the Point-class cutters during the late 1990s. The last Point-class cutter was replaced in 2003.

Commissioning, homeport, and disposition information

Legend:   Denotes Vietnam service   Denotes construction by J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.