PATROL SHIP ZEPHYR (PC 8)
The U.S. Navy will commission the coastal patrol ship, Zephyr (PC 8), in a
ceremony to be held on Saturday, October 15, 1994, at the Barge Dock in Corpus
Christi, Texas, commencing at 10 a.m.
Barbara A. Andrews, state office manager for Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, is
the ship's sponsor. Steven S. Honigman, general counsel of the Navy, will be
the principal speaker at the ceremony.
Zephyr is the eighth of 13 Cyclone Class ships authorized by Congress. These
ships are named for weather elements. No previous U.S. Navy ships have borne
this name. Zephyr's primary mission is maritime special operations, which
includes conducting coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance -- an
important aspect of littoral operations outlined in the Navy's strategy,
"Forward ...From the Sea." These ships will also provide full mission support
for naval special operations forces.
Coastal patrol ships are armed with one Stinger missile station, 40MM grenade
launchers, .50 caliber machine guns and 25MM chain guns. The ship will be
manned by a crew of four officers and 24 enlisted personnel, is 170 feet in
length, has a beam of 25 feet and displaces approximately 331 tons fully
loaded. Lieutenant R. Allen Stubblefield, Jr., U.S. Navy, a native of
Houston, Texas, will be the ship's commanding officer.
