USS Zephyr

USS Zephyr (PC-8)
History
United States
Ordered	3 August 1990
Builder	Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
Laid down	6 March 1993
Launched	3 December 1993
Acquired	16 August 1994
Commissioned	15 October 1994
Decommissioned	1 October 2004
Homeport	Norfolk, Virginia
Motto	Leading The Charge
Nickname(s)	The Eight Ballers
Status	in active service. Loaned to the United States Coast Guard 2004-2011, transferred back to the U.S Navy late 2011
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Cyclone-class patrol ship
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)
Range	2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	4 officers, 28 men
Armament	(USN) 2 Mk38 chain guns 2 Mk19 grenade launchers 2 .50 (12.7 mm) machine guns

USS Zephyr (PC-8) is a Cyclone class patrol coastal ship in the United States Navy.

Zephyr is the eighth ship of thirteen in the Cyclone-class. All ships in this class are named after weather elements. Zephyr is the first Navy vessel to bear the name. She was laid down 6 March 1993, by Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana and launched 3 December 1993. She was commissioned on 14 October 1994 and decommissioned 1 October 2004 and transferred to the United States Coast Guard as USCGC Zephyr (WPC-8).

The CGC Zephyr was the first cutter deployed to respond to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire.

Zephyr was transferred back to the Navy on 30 September 2011, and is once again designated PC-8.

Zephyr is currently undergoing repairs at Colonas Shipyards in Norfolk, Virginia.

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.

External links

• navsource.org: USCGC Zephyr (WPC-8)
• Federation of American Scientists, Cyclone class ship characteristics