USS Firebolt (PC 10) crewmembers marked the top of the patrol coastal ship’s U.S. Navy service throughout a decommissioning ceremony Feb. 23 at Naval Assist Exercise Bahrain. USS Firebolt (PC-10) is the tenth member of the Cyclone class of coastal patrol boats of the USA Navy. The practically 27-year-old ship was certainly one of 10 patrol craft at the moment forward-deployed to the Center East in assist of regional maritime safety operations. Firebolt commissioned in June 1995 and commenced conducting routine coastal patrol operations beneath U.S. fifth Fleet in 2003. Previous to working from Bahrain, the ship helped safe New York Metropolis’s harbor instantly following the terrorist assaults in the USA on Sept. 11, 2001.
Months later, Firebolt carried out coastal patrols within the Arabian Gulf throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2004, two Firebolt Sailors and a Coast Guardsman had been killed as Firebolt offered safety for the Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal within the Northern Arabian Gulf. After recognizing a suspicious vessel, Firebolt deployed a rigid-hull inflatable boat and the suspicious vessel exploded in an obvious suicide assault. Firebolt has carried out a number of main rescue operations throughout its storied service. In 2005, the ship’s crew rescued 89 folks off the coast of Somalia after their boat sank. Moreover, Firebolt rescued an Iranian mariner from a capsized fishing vessel in 2012.
Commercial
Through the decommissioning ceremony, Lt. Cmdr. Raymond W. Miller, Firebolt’s commanding officer, expressed appreciation for his staff. “They’ve confirmed their dedication to mission success again and again. They’ve by no means let me or one another down,” mentioned Miller.
“The crew is what makes Firebolt particular to me. The historical past behind Firebolt makes all the things we do extra significant,” mentioned Senior Chief Engineman Paul Dixon, who accomplished two excursions aboard Firebolt.
“We’ve so many recollections right here. We’d be right here working late hours in engineering, however nonetheless smiling and joking. It’s stuff like that that’s irreplaceable,” mentioned Machinist’s Mate third Class Pedro Benitez. “.”
USS Firebolt (PC-10) is a 174 ft (53 m) vessel with a crew of roughly 30 sailors, usually homeported at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Norfolk, Virginia. Her armament consists of two Mk38 chain weapons, two Mk19 automated grenade launchers, and two .50 in (12.7 mm) machine weapons, in addition to six Stinger missiles. She was laid down by Bollinger Shipyards on 17 September 1993, launched on 10 June 1994 and commissioned into the Navy on 10 June 1995. Most of those ships had been launched between 1992 and 1994. The first mission of those ships is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance, an essential side of littoral operations outlined within the Navy’s technique, “Ahead…From the Sea.” These ships additionally present full mission assist for U.S. Navy SEALs and different particular operations forces.
