First Batch of Former US Coast Guard Island Class Cutters Delivered to the Hellenic Navy

On July 4th, the Hellenic Navy recently acquired the initial pair of four ex-US Coast Guard Island-class cutters. The two vessels, formerly known as Adak (WPB 1333) and Attu (WPB 1309), were transferred to Salamis Naval Base after arriving at Piraeus port a day earlier aboard the heavy-lift ship M/V SLNC Magothy. These ships were transferred from Manama, Bahrain, where they embarked on their journey to Greece on June 16th. The Hellenic Navy has also announced that the remaining two vessels, formerly known as Wrangell (WPB 1332) and Monomoy (WPB 1326), are expected to arrive in Greece within the upcoming weeks.

The next step for these vessels involves refurbishment and partial upgrade processes. Notably, this will include the installation of advanced features such as the Leonardo Lionfish 20 mm remote weapons station (RWS), 12.7 mm machine guns, a new surveillance radar, a Miltech Hellas electro-optical sensor, and upgraded communication equipment. As part of the transition, these ships will be given new names, namely Montovalos (P 197), Galanis (P 198), Liaskos (P 288), and Yalopsoos (P 289). However, the specific allocation of names to each ship has yet to be determined.

The Island-class patrol boat is a class of cutters of the United States Coast Guard. A total of 49 Island-class cutters of the class were built, of which 37 remain in commission. Their hull numbers are WPB-1301 through WPB-1349. The 110 ft (34 m) Island-class patrol boats are U.S. Coast Guard modifications of a highly successful British-designed Vosper Thorneycroft patrol boat built for Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, and Seychelles. The Island-class, all named after U.S. islands. The U.S. Coast Guard has transferred several ships to foreign navies and coast guards via the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s Office of International Acquisition’s excess defense articles program (EDA).

These cutters are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment and are used in support of the Coast Guard’s maritime homeland security, migrant interdiction, drug interdiction, defense operations, fisheries enforcement, search and rescue missions. The 58 ordered Sentinel-class cutters, under the Fast Response Cutter (FRC) program, are slated to replace the Island-class. Six Island-class cutters are currently stationed in Manama, Bahrain as part of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia to provide the Navy’s Fifth Fleet with combat ready assets. The cutters have a displacement of 10 tons of spares and weight reserve for additional weapons.

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