The U.S. Navy retired three Cyclone-class patrol boats in ceremonies this week as it reduces the number of vessels in the class from 13 to zero.

The USS Tornado, the USS Sharmal and the USS Tornado were formally decommissioned and given new statuses at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.

Designed for transporting special operations forces in shallow water, the three ships were used to train forward-deployed Cyclone crews of the U.S. 5th Fleet, in operations against Iranian fast attack vessels and as escorts for larger U. S. ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz.

"These three warships have served our Navy and our country well," Capt. Mike Meyer, commander of Naval Surface Squadron Fourteen, said at Thursday's ceremony.

"Each of them has operated well past their designed service life, with their crews contributing demonstrably to meeting our national objectives."

The USS Zephyr, commissioned in 1993, and the USS Shamal, commissioned in 1995, will be scrapped in March. The USS Tornado, commissioned in 2000, is scheduled to be marketed for foreign military sale. The10 remaining Cyclone-class ships are stationed in Bahrain.

The patrol boats, each 179 feet long, are regarded as heavily armed for their size, and carry machine guns, grenade-launchers, two 25-mm cannons and twin quad launchers for Griffin surface-to-surface missiles. They can also fire Stinger surface-to-air missiles.

The USS Zephyr was among the first ships to respond in2010 to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The USS Shamal participated in the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the USS Tornado was involved in the disruption of delivery of 40 tons of cocaine in a 2020.counter-narcotics mission.

"Shamal is leaving behind a storied legacy of operating in the waters of the United States and abroad," Lt. Cmdr. Dan O'Neill, the ship's commanding officer, said at the ceremony.

"Her crew, past and present, can stand proud of her accomplishments and service to our nation."

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Australian army plans new amphibious landing craft for fleet
Washington DC (UPI) Feb 16, 2021
The Australian army announced plans Tuesday to phase out its littoral fleet in favor of a new line of amphibious landing craft. While the service's Lighter, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo vehicle, or LARC-V, vessels are unlikely to change much, the Landing Craft Mechanized, Mark 8, or LCM-8, is "likely to change significantly" under a planned overhaul to the fleet, according to Australian officials. The new vessel, the Independent Landing Craft, to replace the LCM-8, is expected to be signi ... read more