USS Sirocco

USS Sirocco
History
United States
Name	Sirocco
Ordered	3 August 1990
Builder	Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
Laid down	20 June 1992
Launched	29 May 1993
Acquired	11 March 1994
Commissioned	11 June 1994
Homeport	Manama, Bahrain
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass-
Displacement	331 tons
Length	174 ft (53 m)
Beam	25 ft (7.6 m)
Draught	7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Complement	4 officers, 24 men, 8 Special Forces
Armament	(USN) 2 Mk38 chain guns 2 Mk19 grenade launchers 2 .50 (12.7 mm) machine guns 6 Stinger missiles

USS Sirocco (PC-6) is the sixth Template:Sclass- of the U.S. Navy. Sirocco was laid down 20 June 1992 by Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana and launched 29 May 1993. She was commissioned by the Navy 11 June 1994. As of 2016, the ship was stationed in Bahrain performing coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance in the region.

History

Sirocco (PC-6) was laid down on 20 June 1992 at Lockport, La., by Bollinger Machine Shop and Shipyard; launched on 29 May 1993; sponsored by Mrs. Kathleen Smith, wife of Rear Adm. Raymond C. Smith Jr., Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command; and commissioned on 11 June 1994 at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., Lt. David M. Caldwell in command.

Sirocco is assigned to Commander Fifth Fleet through Destroyer Squadron 50 and is homeported in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. 7 PC class warships are forward deployed to C5F. PC ships were formerly crewed by one of 13 rotational PC crews and homeported in Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek VA (Virginia Beach, VA, USA).

There, under the auspices of Commander, Patrol Coastal Squadron One/Commander, Patrol Coastal Class Squadron the crews trained on five US based PC hulls prior to completing a six-month deployment to FIFTH fleet. PC ships such as Sirocco complete a variety of mission sets that has expanded since the transfer of the ships and associated support structures in Naval Surface Warfare. As of 2009, PC ships deployed in Bahrain primarily conducted Maritime Security Operations in the Persian Gulf with a concentration towards anti-piracy.

Sirocco in the Persian Gulf, April 2005

In 2009, Sirocco completed phase 1 of a modernization program to extend the useful lives of the ships. Upgrades included new computer systems and satellite communications, as well as upgraded AC systems and a Rafeal Typhoon MK38 MOD II gun weapons system replacing the previously fitted MK96 mount.

On 28 March 2016, Sirocco seized a stateless dhow in the Arabian sea. A boarding party had been dispatched to inspect the suspicious vessel and discovered it had been transporting 1,500 AK-47 assault rifles, 200 RPG launchers, and 21 .50 caliber machine guns. After receiving reports from Sirocco, the destroyer USS Gravely also arrived on the scene to assist. After the weapons were seized and offloaded, the dhow and its crew were released.

Further reading

• Cage, Paul (6 June 2005). "Sirocco Continues Maritime Security Operations with New Crew NNS050606-04". Navy News.
• "Sirocco Responds To Medical Emergency NNS100907-07". Navy News. 7 September 2010.

References

•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Sirocco home page
• FAS