POINT BARNES, 1970
WPB-82371
Builder: Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, MD
Commissioned: 21 April 1970
Decommissioned: 12 January 2000
Disposition: Transferred to Jamaica
Length: 82’10” oa, 78’ bp
Navigation Draft: 5’11” max (1960)
Beam: 17’7” max
Displacement: 69 fl; 60 light (1960)
Main Engines: 2 Cummins diesel (see class history)
BHP: 1,600
Performance, Maximum Sustained: 18.0 kts, 542-mi radius (1,600 hp, 1963)
Performance, Economic: 9.4 kts, 1,500-mi radius (1,600 hp, 1963)
Maximum Speed: 22.9 kts (1963)
Fuel Capacity: 1,840 gal
Complement: 8 men (1960), 2 officers, 8 men (1965)
Electronics:
Radar: SPN-11, CR-103 (1960), or SPS-64
Armament: 1 x 20mm (1960), 5 x .50 cal mg, 1 x 81 mm mortar (Vietnam service)
Class history—The 82-foot patrol boats have mild steel hulls and aluminum superstructures. Longitudinally framed construction was used to save weight.
These boats were completed with a variety of power plants. 82301 through 82313, 82315 through 82317, and 82319 through 82331 were powered by two Cummins 600-hp diesels. Boats 82318 and 82332 through 82379 received two Cummins 800-hp diesels. The 82314 was fitted with two 1,000-hp gas turbines and controllable-pitch propellers. The purpose of this installation was to permit the service to evaluate the propulsion equipment. All units were eventually fitted with the 800-hp diesels. Units remaining in 1990 were re-equipped with Caterpillar diesels.
WPB 82301 through 82344 were commissioned without names; at that time the Coast Guard did not name patrol craft shorter than 100 feet. In January 1964 they were assigned names.
Ship's history:
The Point Barnes was stationed at Miami Beach, FL, from 1970 to 1975. She was used for law enforcement and search and rescue operations.
She was stationed at Fort Pierce, FL, from 1975. In September 1982, she seized a Honduran M/V off Palm Beach, FL, carrying 30 tons of marijuana. On 27 March 1984, she helped seize an F/V east of the Bahamas with marijuana on board. On 16 August 1984, she sustained an engine-room fire. On 7 April 1985, she seized pleasure craft Shelly north of Andros Island carrying 77 lbs of cocaine. On 18 June 1986, she seized an F/V 6 miles west of Bimini carrying traces of cocaine. The F/V had fired at the cutter during the pursuit. On 30 March 1987, she intercepted the 60-foot Marie Flore carrying 141 Haitians. On 10 May 1987, she helped seize the Venezuelan M/V P.L.-8 40 miles east of Great Abaco with 3 tons of marijuana on board.
Sources:
Cutter History File. USCG Historian's Office, USCG HQ, Washington, D.C.
"The 82-Foot Class Patrol Boat." U.S. Coast Guard Engineer's Digest No. 133 (Mar-Apr 1962), pp. 2-5.
Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946-1990. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990