US Navy to give two Cyclone class patrol ships to Philippines.

According to information published by the US DoD, the U.S. Navy decommissioned the last two Cyclone-class patrol coastal ships stationed at Naval Support Activity Bahrain during a pierside ceremony attended by U.S. 5th Fleet officials.
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Cyclone class patrol ship USS Monsoon. (Picture source: US DoD)

Leaders and crewmembers of USS Monsoon (PC 4) and USS Chinook (PC 9) marked the end of nearly three decades of U.S. naval service.

Monsoon and Chinook are the last of a group of 10 ships designed for shallow-water operations that were stationed in Bahrain. The Middle East region includes 5,000 miles of coastline from the northern Arabian Gulf, around the Arabian Peninsula, through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Monsoon and Chinook are slated for transfer to the Philippine Navy. Officials from the Philippines attended the ceremony.

Bahrain, Egypt, and the Philippines are members of the largest multinational naval partnership in the world called Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Led by the United States, forces from the organization’s 38 nations operate across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international water space in the Middle East.

About the Cyclone class

With a displacement of 328.5 long tons at light load and 331 long tons fully loaded, the Cyclone class is relatively small and maneuverable, measuring 179 feet in length and 25 feet in beam.

Her draft of 7.5 feet allows it to operate in shallow waters, and its speed of up to 35 knots. The Cyclone class also has a range of 2,000 to 2,500 nautical miles when traveling at 12 knots. The crew of the Cyclone class consists of four officers and 24 enlisted personnel.