By Larry Pearson
The nearly $500 million contract to upgrade 49
Island Class Coast Guard patrol boats has been can-
celled. The action by the U.S. Coast Guard had been
rumored for months.
The plan originally made all kinds of sense. Take
these 14-16 year old boats and extend their service
life while a new series of vessels were designed and
built. Problems started early in the program as the
first four boats delivered to Bollinger Shipyards,
Lockport, La. for the refit work had a surprising
number of hull plates that had to be replaced. Up to
35 percent of the hull steel on the Matagorda was
replaced before the upgrades could be installed.
It was obvious that these boats had been "ridden
very hard, especially in the months since 9/11,"
according to the Coast Guard.
Last September, the Matagorda was the first vessel
to receive the upgrades including a 13-ft. addition to
the stern to accommodate a deployable and recover-
4• MarineNews • August, 2005
NEWS
Circle 203 on Reader Service Card
Directory of companies given editorial coverage in this edition of MarineNews.
A.K. Suda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Accenture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Albacore Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Alltel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Arnold Schwarzenegger . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Barco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Bob Hilstrom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Bollinger Shipyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
BP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Calhoon MEBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Caterpillar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Celebrity Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Coast Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
CR Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Daniel Akaka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Daniel Inouye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Department of Transportation . . . . . . . . . .15
Derecktor Shipyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Detyens Shipyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Don Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Ecom Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Eddie Bernice Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Elliott Bay Design Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Ericsson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
FDNY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Frank Lautenberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
George Pataki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
GlobalSantaFe Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
GMATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Great Lakes Towing Company . . . . . . . . . .6
Grucci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Gulf Drilling International . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Herbert Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
ITB Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
James Oberstar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Jeremy White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Jerry Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Jim Whitley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
John Duncan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
John Falvey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
John Jamian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Ken Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Keppel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Kongsberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33, 36
Kurt Nagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Kvichak Marine Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
LeTourneau Shipyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Lockheed Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Macy's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
MarAd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Maragret Mitchell Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Maria Cantwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
McAllister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
MPT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Moose Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Motorola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
MTU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
NASSCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Norman Mineta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Northrop Grumman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
OSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Pat Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Paul Sarbanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
PCCi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Pete McMahon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Pete Pritchard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
PetroCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Petroleo Brasileiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Phil Grucci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Rick Perry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Rigdon Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Rosborough Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Roy Neyman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
SeaArk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
SEAPRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Siemans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
South Tyneside Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Steve Stoebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Steven Davison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
T&T Bisso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
T.R. Hamblin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Ted Stevens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
T-Mobil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Transas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Transocean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . . . . . . . . .17
Verizon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Virgin Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
VT Halter Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Workskiff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
The Index
USCG Patrol Boats Scuttled
The first of the upgraded Island Class cutters
Matagorda on sea trials with its deployable and
recoverable RIB in the foreground. A 13-ft. stern
extension was added to the vessel so the RIB could
literally "drive-up" into the vessel.
AUGUSTMN2005 1(1-8).qxd 8/3/2005 9:27 AM Page 4
Digital Wave Publishing