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USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715)
Encyclopedia
USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) was a U. S.
Coast Guard
high endurance cutter based out of San Diego, California
. Launched December 18, 1965 at Avondale Shipyard
s near New Orleans, Louisiana
and named for Alexander Hamilton
the first United States Secretary of the Treasury
and founder of the United States Revenue Cutter Service
. She was commissioned March 18, 1967.
USCGC Hamilton was decommissioned on March 28, 2011 in San Diego. The ship was sold under the FMS program and was transferred to the Philippine Navy
on May 13, 2011 as BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)
.
gas turbine
s can propel Hamilton at speeds up to 28 knots (55 km/h). Hamilton also has two 3500 hp Fairbanks-Morse
diesel engine
s, capable of driving the ship economically at 17 knots (33 km/h) for up to 14400 nautical miles (26,668.8 km) without refueling. A retractable/rotatable bow propulsion unit
provides exceptional maneuverability in tight situations.
operations.
.
, Hamilton interdicted weapons smugglers and fired more than 4,600 rounds of gunfire in support of U.S. and Vietnamese
troops ashore. From 1965-1975, Hamilton served on Atlantic Ocean
Stations, collecting valuable oceanographic data and conducting frequent search and rescue missions. Hamilton also directed the interdictions of over 21,000 Haiti
an migrants throughout the Caribbean
during Operation Able Manner. In 1994, Hamilton received the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for rescuing 135 Haitians from the sea after their sailboat capsized and sank. In 1996, Hamilton transited the Panama Canal
and served as the command and control platform for Operation Frontier Shield, a multi-agency effort to curtail the influx of narcotics into the United States. Hamilton intercepted 14 drug-laden vessels carrying more than 115 tons of contraband worth 200 million dollars. In 1999, Hamilton seized over 2,700 kilograms of cocaine bound for the U.S. in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
. Hamilton frequently patrols the Bering Sea
off the Alaska
n coast at the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) which separates the Russian and the United States Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Hamiltons presence on the MBL deters foreign fishing vessels from fishing in the U.S. EEZ.
In March 2007, Hamilton assisted the in the largest recorded maritime drug bust in history. The two vessels intercepted the Panamanian-flagged fishing vessel Gatun in international waters and were able to recover 20 metric tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $600 million dollars retail. The seizure was the largest drug bust in US history and the largest interdiction at sea.
Matthew J. Gimple was the last Commanding Officer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
high endurance cutter based out of San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Launched December 18, 1965 at Avondale Shipyard
Avondale Shipyard
Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi...
s near New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and named for Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
the first United States Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
and founder of the United States Revenue Cutter Service
United States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...
. She was commissioned March 18, 1967.
USCGC Hamilton was decommissioned on March 28, 2011 in San Diego. The ship was sold under the FMS program and was transferred to the Philippine Navy
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....
on May 13, 2011 as BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)
BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)
The BRP Gregorio del Pilar is a patrol frigate of the Philippine Navy. Originally, it was built as a US Coast Guard Hamilton class cutter, known as USCGC Hamilton and was transferred to the Philippine Navy on May 13, 2011. In late July 2011, she passed by Hawaii for a brief port visit and during...
.
Design
The Coast Guard designed a high level of habitability into Hamilton. Living compartments and areas provide fairly comfortable accommodations, including air conditioning, for the 173 men and women who serve on board.Propulsion
Hamilton was the first U.S. military vessel to employ the now common shipboard application of aircraft gas turbine jet engines with the use of controllable pitch propellers. Hamiltons two 18000 hp Pratt & WhitneyPratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
s can propel Hamilton at speeds up to 28 knots (55 km/h). Hamilton also has two 3500 hp Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks Morse and Company was a manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, locomotives and industrial supplies until it was merged in 1958...
diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s, capable of driving the ship economically at 17 knots (33 km/h) for up to 14400 nautical miles (26,668.8 km) without refueling. A retractable/rotatable bow propulsion unit
Bow thruster
A bow thruster is a transversal propulsion device built into, or mounted to, the bow of a ship or boat to make it more maneuverable. Bow thrusters make docking easier, since they allow the captain to turn the vessel to port or starboard without using the main propulsion mechanism which requires...
provides exceptional maneuverability in tight situations.
Flight Support
Hamiltons flight deck and hangar, capable of handling both Coast Guard and Navy helicopters extends the vessel’s rescue and maritime law enforcementMissions of the United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard carries out three basic roles, which are further subdivided into eleven statutory missions. The three roles are:* Maritime safety* Maritime security* Maritime Stewardship...
operations.
Renovation
In 1988, Hamilton completed a three-year fleet renovation and modernization that provided the ship with modern weapons and electronics systems. All spaces and machinery were also completely overhauled and refurbished. The new technology enables Hamilton to operate seamlessly with the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Missions
Hamilton has served a variety of missions with distinction. During a 1969-70 deployment to VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Hamilton interdicted weapons smugglers and fired more than 4,600 rounds of gunfire in support of U.S. and Vietnamese
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
troops ashore. From 1965-1975, Hamilton served on Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
Stations, collecting valuable oceanographic data and conducting frequent search and rescue missions. Hamilton also directed the interdictions of over 21,000 Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an migrants throughout the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
during Operation Able Manner. In 1994, Hamilton received the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for rescuing 135 Haitians from the sea after their sailboat capsized and sank. In 1996, Hamilton transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and served as the command and control platform for Operation Frontier Shield, a multi-agency effort to curtail the influx of narcotics into the United States. Hamilton intercepted 14 drug-laden vessels carrying more than 115 tons of contraband worth 200 million dollars. In 1999, Hamilton seized over 2,700 kilograms of cocaine bound for the U.S. in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Hamilton frequently patrols the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
off the Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
n coast at the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) which separates the Russian and the United States Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Hamiltons presence on the MBL deters foreign fishing vessels from fishing in the U.S. EEZ.
In March 2007, Hamilton assisted the in the largest recorded maritime drug bust in history. The two vessels intercepted the Panamanian-flagged fishing vessel Gatun in international waters and were able to recover 20 metric tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $600 million dollars retail. The seizure was the largest drug bust in US history and the largest interdiction at sea.
Additional
The U.S. Navy League Training Ship HAMILTON (114HAM) is named after this ship.Matthew J. Gimple was the last Commanding Officer.