SHAMAL (PC 13) TO BE CHRISTENED AT
BOLLINGER SHIPBUILDING
The coastal patrol ships Thunderbolt (PC 12) and Shamal (PC 13) will be
christened in a combined ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, 1995, at
Bollinger Machine Shop and Shipyard, in Lockport, Louisiana.
Representative John Spratt of South Carolina will be the ceremony's principal
speaker. Also attending the ceremony will be Jane Stacy Spratt, wife of
Representative John Spratt, the sponsor for Thunderbolt, and Nora Slatkin,
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, the
sponsor for Shamal.
Thunderbolt is the 12th, and Shamal is the last of 13 Cyclone Class ships
authorized to be built by Congress. Each are named for weather elements. The
ships' primary mission is 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 warfare forces.
Coastal patrol ship's armaments include a Stinger missile station, 40mm
grenade launchers, .50 caliber machine guns and 25mm chain guns. Each ship has
a crew of four officers and 24 sailors, is 170 feet in length, has a beam of 25
feet, and displaces approximately 313 tons fully loaded.
