COMMISSIONED AT ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
The coastal patrol ship Firebolt (PC 10) will be commissioned at 10 a.m. on
Saturday, June 10, 1995, at Robinson Terminal, Alexandria, Virginia.
Senator Charles S. Robb of Virginia will be the ceremony's principal speaker.
Firebolt's sponsor, Andrea Danzig, wife of Under Secretary of the Navy Richard
Danzig, who christened the ship in September of 1994, will attend and Secretary
Danzig will also speak.
Firebolt is the 10th of 13 Cyclone Class ships authorized by Congress to be
built. Named for a weather element, no previous U.S. Navy ships have borne
this name. The ship's primary mission is coastal patrol and interdiction
surveillance, an important aspect of littoral operations outlined in the Navy's
strategy, "Forward ...From the Sea." The ship will also provide full mission
support for Navy SEALs and other special operations forces.
Coastal patrol ship's armaments include a Stinger missile station, 40mm
grenade launchers, .50 caliber machine guns and 25mm chain guns. Firebolt has
a crew of four officers and 24 Sailors, is 170 feet in length, has a beam of 25
feet, and displaces approximately 331 tons fully loaded. Lieutenant Charles
F. Williams, USN, a native of Oakton, Virginia, is the ship's commanding
officer. Firebolt will be the first U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned in
Alexandria.
The ceremony will be open to the public. For futher information contact
Lieutenant Karl Johnson, USN, Naval District Washington Public Affairs Office,
at (202) 433-2218.
