POINT DORAN, 1970
WPB 82375
Builder: Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, MD
Commissioned: 1 June 1970
Decommissioned: 22 March 2000
Disposition: Transferred to Philippines
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) ; 12 men (1990)
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 Doran was stationed at Everett, Washington. She was used for law enforcement and search and rescue operations primarily in the waters of Puget Sound.
She was one of two WPBs assigned to Group Seattle. She had a crew of 12, with a BMCM serving as Officer-in-Charge. Although she was home-ported in Everett, she was primarily tasked as a 13th District patrolling cutter. As a patrolling cutter, she was a primary underway SAR, LE, and MEP resource for activity in Group Seattle's and Group Port Angeles' AORs, including Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and the Straits of Joan de Fuca along the international U.S./Canadian border.
On 23 November 1987, at 0315, Coast Guard Group Seattle received a report that a sailing vessel was on fire south of Cypress Island. Star Fire, a vessel in the vicinity, picked up two people from their life raft as Point Doran put out the fire and dewatered the vessel. She then embarked the two survivors and towed the vessel to Cape Sante Marina.
In January 1990 the Commander of Coast Guard Group Seattle forwarded a summary of the Point Doran's activities for CY-1989 as part of his nomination for the Coast Guard Foundation's Admiral John B. Hayes award and it gives a good indication of the kinds of operations a WPB in the 13th District conducted and is therefore quoted here in full:
1. POINT DORAN’S operational statistics for CY-1989 include the following accomplishments:
A. SAR
POINT DORAN worked 42 SAR cases in 1989 (both single and multi-unit cases). SAR cases included DORAN’S immediate response to a small single-engine plane with 1 POB that crashed into Puget Sound 4 miles from Everett. Responding from restricted operational Charlie Status, DORAN was on scene almost immediately serving as on scene rescue coordinator. Although the pilot died in this highly publicized media event, DORAN was able to recover the entire aircraft by hoisting it aboard the ship.
In a similar incident, DORAN was primary responder and OSC for a ditched USN A-6 aircraft off of Whidbey Island. While the pilots were recovered by rescue helos, DORAN was instrumental in recovering numerous portions of the aircraft that assisted in* after-crash investigation procedures of this second major local media event.
Finally, during a previously unscheduled patrol, with the XPO in command, DORAN served as OSC for a multi-unit “diver down” SAR case in the San Juan Islands. The incident occurred late at night, necessitating DORAN to conduct hazardous night time helo ops with 3 USN helos transporting Canadian dive teams to the scene.
While inport DORAN responded to 25 different SAR cases in the Everett area at Group Seattle’s request, primarily utilizing their 4 meter RHI while responding from various low readiness postures (B-24, B-72, Charlie).
B. Law Enforcement
DORAN conducted 336 boardings in CY-89, over three times as many as were conducted by the unit in CY-88, which disclosed 71 CFR violations. Included in these were two category III D13 (ole) directed boardings. DORAN detained and transported 5 difficult individuals at the request of local law enforcement agencies for outstanding warrants. DORAN made the initial seizure in a series of Canadian gillnetters apprehended for operating in U. S. waters in violation of the Magnuson Act.
DORAN was OSC for 4 difficult and demanding 19 hour All-Citizens Gillnet fisheries operation in Puget Sound, during which they cited 9 vessels for violation of special regulations, while coordinating CG efforts in keeping 200 fishing vessels clear of traffic lanes established for ferries, tankers and other deep draft vessels.
C. Special Operations
DORAN was the lead vessel for the Seattle Yacht Club Opening Day Parade, representing the Coast Guard in this nationally televised event, while also assisting in the control of over 2,500 spectator craft.
As.OSC for 27 CG and PD assets at Seattle’s Seafair Hydroplane races, DORAN was instrumental in coordinating and responding to over 50 SAR cases, 30 medivacs, and numerous law I enforcement situations among the 5,000 spectator vessels. This included a life threatening situation’ on the log boom requiring the removal of nearly 100 people from an over-loaded raft that was sinking.
Prior to Seafair Hydroplane races, DORAN was given a last minute assignment as OSC in charge of 8 CG and PD vessels for enforcement of a COTP safety zone around 14 USN combatants participating in Seafairs’ parade of ships into Seattle. Despite the presence of 25 Greenpeace protest vessels, this highly publicize& event was completed without incident.
DORAN was OSC and lead L/E vessel for an actual coordinated USN/USCG movement simulating a “break out” of a Trident submarine from Bangor Washington. As the command and control platform, DORAN overcame communication inter-operability problems to ensure a safe, successful transit of the submarine including the transfer by small boat of one of the submarines crew members from the base to the sub.
2. POINT DORAN has maintained an extremely high level of training readiness in CY-89 with added emphasis on the law enforcement mission. Four out of DORAN’s six petty officers (including the SS1), are MLE Boarding Officer School graduates. All hands have attended boarding team”member school. Maintaining this level of “C” school training requires DORAN to often sail short-handed while members are TAD to school.
3. As patrolling Cutter DORAN has been instrumental in cementing key CG relationships with WDF, county sheriffs (Whatcom, San Juan, Snohomish), FBI, RCMP, and US Customs. While in home port they’ have developed outstanding working relationships with Everett fire and police,1 Everett Yacht Club and Seattle Police Department. DORAN’s participation in Everett’s Christmas parade of boats was a highlight of that event. Their interactions and support of CG Auxiliary is excellent, highlighted by their transporting/hosting Group Seattle AOR auxiliarists on a one day trip to Blake Island.
4. POINT DORAN continuously receives excellent reports on Group/District/Pacarea inspections and training team visits. With a district target of 1500 hours underway on patrol annually, DORAN had 1764 underway hours with 115 days away from homeport including additional patrols when other WPB’s required repairs. Never in CY89 did DORAN miss an operational commitment. It’s a tribute to the unit that all of this was accomplished despite the PCS change-over of 7 of the 12 crew members including the OINC. Clearly DORAN was at the center of Coast Guard operations in the Northwest, time and time again flawlessly’ performing key command and control functions. Without exception POINT DORAN was the epitome of “Semper Paratus” in 1989 and is most deserving of your favorable consideration for this award.
She was decommissioned on 22 March 2000 and was then transferred to Philippines.
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