Type Riverine patrol boat | ||
 | ||
Name Small unit riverine craft (SURC) Operators United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
Philippine Marine Corps Displacement 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) combat load Length 38 ft (12 m) (w/ transom platform) Beam 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) (collars removable for C-130 transport) | ||
The small unit riverine craft (SURC) is rigid-hull, armed and armored patrol boat used by the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy to maintain control of rivers and inland waterways. They are similar in size and purpose to the much older Patrol Boat, River vessels used during the Vietnam War.
According to the Navy, “The primary mission of the SURC is to provide tactical mobility and a limited weapons platform for the ground combat element of a Marine Air Ground Task Force in littoral and riverine environments.” The boat’s secondary mission includes “command and control, reconnaissance, logistic/resupply, medevac, counter-drug operations, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, and noncombatant evacuation operations.”
The boat is transportable by C-130 Hercules aircraft and can be launched from its trailer at lakeside.
The boats were first deployed to Iraq and were used there by the now deactivated U.S. Marine Corps' Small Craft Company, being latter turned over to the United States Navy Riverine Squadrons - units of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) that used the boats to patrol strategic areas of Iraq.
The boats are built by Raytheon Naval & Maritime Integrated Systems, with a contract to build up to 100 boats. Raytheon’s contract partners are SAFE Boats International of Bremerton, Washington and Boat Master of Fort Myers, Florida.
On Sept. 25 2013, the United States transferred six SURC patrol boats to the Philippine Marine Corps to provide a platform for command and control, reconnaissance, logistic/resupply, medical evacuation, counter-drug operations, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping and non-combatant evacuation operations & will be deployed to augment sea-based forces addressing terrorism and lawlessness.
It also has the capability to turn 180 degrees in less than three boat lengths and accelerate to 25 knots (46 km/h) in less than 15 seconds.