With a ceremony held at the main dock of the ARC “Bolívar” Naval Base in the city of Cartagena, the Colombian Navy officially incorporated the transfer of three Island-class coastal patrol boats, acquired through the U.S. Government’s Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program. The units, previously in service with that country’s Coast Guard (USCG), were named ARC “Batalla Toma de Sabanilla,” ARC “Batalla de Cispatá,” and ARC “Batalla Noche de San Juan” in honor of significant naval feats from Colombia’s independence.
The patrol boats, with extensive experience in the waters of the North Pacific, were decommissioned in March and April of this year at their respective home ports in Alaska. On May 14, they departed from Ketchikan to begin a journey of more than 4,600 nautical miles, which successfully concluded on June 14 in Colombian Caribbean waters. With this incorporation, the Navy notably strengthens its capacity for surveillance, maritime control, and emergency response in various scenarios.
Designed to operate in extreme environments, these patrol boats will be used in interdiction, search and rescue (SAR), humanitarian assistance, and natural resource protection missions. They measure 33.5 meters in length, 6.4 meters in beam, 1.9 meters in draft, have a displacement of over 154 tons, and a mast height of 16.7 meters.
Manned by two officers and fifteen non-commissioned officers, they reach a maximum speed of 29 knots (53 km/h) and have an approximate range of 1,440 nautical miles (2,700 km). They are equipped with two diesel engines and two electric generators to ensure the operation of all onboard systems. During their service in the U.S. Coast Guard, they were equipped with a 25 mm Mk-38 cannon and two .50 caliber machine guns to provide defensive capability in line with patrol missions.
It is worth noting that on May 16, the United States Coast Guard officially confirmed that patrol boats USCGC Naushon (WPB-1311), USCGC Mustang (WPB-1310), and USCGC Liberty (WPB-1334) would be transferred to the Colombian Navy through the EDA program. This operation marked the definitive closure of a cycle for the Island class in the U.S. inventory, concluding a distinguished trajectory in that country’s maritime security.
Built at the Bollinger shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana, these patrol boats were conceived to replace the aging Point and Cape classes of the U.S. Coast Guard. They now receive a second life in the service of Colombia, strengthening patrol, maritime control, and sovereignty defense capabilities in the Nation’s jurisdictional waters.
*Image credits: Colombian Navy.
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