USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715)

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Career
USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715)
Builder:	Avondale Shipyards
Laid down:
Launched:	December 18, 1965
Commissioned:	March 18, 1967
Status:	Active
Homeport:	San Diego, California
General Characteristics
Displacement:	3,250 tons
Length:	378 feet
Beam:	43 feet
Propulsion:	Two diesel engines and two gas turbine engines
Speed:	20 knots max
Range:	9,600 miles
Complement:	167 personnel
Sensors and processing systems:	AN/SPS-40 air-search radar
Armament:	Otobreda 76 mm
Motto:	Semper Primus (Always First)

USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) is a U. S. Coast Guard high endurance cutter based out of San Diego, California. Launched December 18, 1965 at Avondale Shipyards near New Orleans, Louisiana and named for Alexander Hamilton the first United States Secretary of the Treasury and founder of the United States Revenue Cutter Service. She was commissioned March 18, 1967. She completed the FRAM upgrade in 1988.

1 History
2 Missions
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The Coast Guard designed a high level of habitability into Hamilton. Living compartments and areas provide fairly comfortable accommodations, including air conditioning, for the 173 men and women who serve on board Hamilton.^[1]

Hamilton was the first U.S. military vessel to employ the now common shipboard application of aircraft gas turbine jet engines with the use of controllable pitch propellers. Hamilton’s two 1800 horsepower gas turbines can propel Hamilton at speeds up to 28 knots. Hamilton also has two 3,500 horsepower diesel engines, capable of driving the ship economically at 17 knots for up to 9,600 miles without refueling. A retractable/rotatable bow propulsion unit provides exceptional maneuverability in tight situations. Hamilton’s flight deck and hangar, capable of handling both Coast Guard and Navy helicopters extends the vessel’s rescue and maritime law enforcement operations.

In 1988, Hamilton completed a three-year fleet renovation and modernization that provided the ship with modern weapons and electronics systems. All spaces and machinery were also completely overhauled and refurbished. The new technology enables Hamilton to operate seamlessly with the United States Navy.^[1]

[edit] Missions

Hamilton has served a variety of missions with distinction. During a 1969-70 deployment to Vietnam, Hamilton interdicted weapons smugglers and fired more that 4,600 rounds of gunfire in support of U.S. and Vietnamese troops ashore. From 1965-1975, Hamilton served on Atlantic Ocean Stations, collecting valuable oceanographic data and conducting frequent search and rescue missions. Hamilton also directed the interdictions of over 21,000 Haitian migrants throughout the Caribbean during Operation Able Manner. In 1994, Hamilton received the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for rescuing 135 Haitians from the sea after their sailboat capsized and sank. In 1996, Hamilton transited though the Panama Canal and served as the command and control platform for Operation Frontier Shield, a multi-agency effort to curtail the influx of narcotics into the United States. Hamilton intercepted 14 drug-laden vessels carrying more than 115 tons of contraband worth 200 million dollars. In 1999, Hamilton seized over 2,700 kilograms of cocaine bound for the U.S. in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The Hamilton frequently patrols the Bering Sea off the Alaskan coast at the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) which separates the Russian and the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Hamilton’s presence on the MBL deters foreign fishing vessels from fishing in the U.S. EEZ.^[1]