USCGC Adak (WPB-1333)
Adak underway off the coast of Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Name: | ADAK |
| Namesake: | Adak Island, Alaska, U.S. |
| Builder: | Bollinger Shipyard |
| Cost: | Approx. $7 Million |
| Sponsored by: | Marlyn Hansen |
| Commissioned: | August 1989 |
| Homeport: | Manama, Bahrain |
| Nickname(s): | The Grizzly of the Gulf |
| Status: | Active in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Island-class patrol boat |
| Displacement: | 164 tons |
| Length: | 113 ft (34 m) |
| Beam: | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Draft: | 6.5 ft (2.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | Twin Paxman Valenta 16-CM RP-200M |
| Speed: | 30+ knots |
| Range: | 9,900 miles |
| Endurance: | 6 days |
| Boats & landing craft carried: |
1 - RHI (90 HP outboard engine) |
| Complement: | 22 personnel (3 officers, 19 enlisted) |
| Armament: |
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| Notes: |
International radio call sign: NZRW Communications: VHF and HF |
International radio call sign: NZRW
USCGC ADAK (WPB-1333) receives her namesake from the island Adak in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. ADAK was placed in commission on August 18, 1989 at Bolinger Shipyard in Lockport, Louisiana. ADAK and the other 48 Island-class patrol boats' construction are based on the internationally known Vosper-Thornycraft design. Her hull is a semi-displacement type monohull made of high strength steel, while the main deck and superstructure are aluminum. ADAK employs an active fin stabilization system to improve her sea keeping abilities. With a top speed in excess of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and a cruising speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), the ship is capable of enduring unsupported operations for six days and accommodates three officers and nineteen enlisted personnel. As of January 2011, the Adak was one of the cutters featured prominently on the desktop wallpaper page of the Coast Guard's website.
The 110' Island-class patrol boats are a U.S. Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat. With excellent range and seakeeping capabilities, the Island class, all named after U.S. islands, replaced the older 95-foot Cape-class patrol boats. These cutters are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment and are used on the front lines of the Coast Guard's Maritime Homeland Security, Migrant Interdiction, Fisheries Enforcement, and Search-and-Rescue missions. The Patrol Boats are also currently deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Former Presidents visiting ADAK.
ADAK standing watch over New York Harbor.
ADAK being lifted on a transport ship, en route to the Persian Gulf.
CG Commandant Thad Allen with crew of ADAK, 2009.
USCGC ADAK was originally stationed in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Before ADAK's commissioning ceremony in August 1989 in New Jersey however, ADAK had already completed six maritime rescues.
After stopping the F/V HUNTER off the coast of New York in 1991, ADAK's boarding team found 10,771 pounds of cocaine worth over $861 million at the time. This was the third largest cocaine bust up to that date.
On the evening of September 18, 1992 ADAK rescued a missing diver off the coast of Shinnecock, Long Island. During its search for the missing diver from dive boat CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT the crew saw a dim light which upon investigation turned out to be the flashlight of the missing diver. The diver had been lost for five hours at that point.
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Wikipedia