According to information published by the US DoD on March 21, 2023, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) transferred three patrol craft to the Egyptian Navy during a formal ceremony in Alexandria, Egypt.
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Cyclone class patrol ship USS Thunderbolt. (Picture source: Dvids)
The transfer ceremony represents the culmination of weeks of preparation, training, and professional exchanges between Egyptian and U.S. Navy Sailors.
The U.S. Navy turned over former patrol coastal ships USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Sirocco (PC 6), and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) after sailing from Bahrain to Egypt during a month-long journey around the Arabian Peninsula, January through February.
During the 4,000-mile transit to Alexandria, U.S., and Egyptian crewmembers worked side-by-side safely navigating the three ships on a voyage that included port visits to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates; Duqm, Oman; Djibouti; and Berenice, Egypt.
U.S. and Egyptian service members continued training after the ships arrived in Alexandria, Feb. 12. Classroom lessons included discussions on engineering, search and rescue, damage control, and weapons handling.
About the Cyclone class
The key features of the class include a displacement of 328.5 long tons (333.8 t) (light load), a length of 179 ft (55 m), a beam of 25 ft (7.6 m), and a draft of 7.5 ft (2.3 m).
The ship is powered by 4 Paxman 16RP200-1-CM diesel engines and 4 shafts, Reintjes reverse reduction gear box with a total installed power of 3,350 shp (2,500 kW). She can achieve a speed of 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph) and has a range of 2,000–2,500 nmi (3,700–4,600 km; 2,300–2,900 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph).
The ship has a crew of 4 officers and 24 enlisted personnel, and is equipped with 2 25 mm (0.98 in) MK 38 autocannons, 2 .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber machine guns, 2 40 mm (1.6 in) MK 19 automatic grenade launchers, 2 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M240B machine guns, 6 FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missiles, and 2 MK-60 quadruple BGM-176B Griffin B missile launchers.
