USS Tornado

USCGC Tornado (WPC-14) in U.S. Coast Guard service in 2004
History
→ United States
Name	Tornado
Namesake	Tornado
Ordered	14 August 1997
Builder	Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
Laid down	25 August 1998
Launched	7 June 1999
Acquired	13 March 2000
Commissioned	24 June 2000
Decommissioned	1 October 2004
Recommissioned	30 September 2011
Decommissioned	18 February 2021
Identification	MMSI number: 369987000 Callsign: NTDO
Motto	Focused Precision
Status	Decommissioned, awaiting transfer to a foreign military partner
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Cyclone-class patrol ship
Displacement	331 tons
Length	179 ft (55 m)
Beam	25 ft (7.6 m)
Draught	7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Installed power	2 CAT Marine SSDG
Propulsion	4 Paxman Valenta Diesel Engines
Speed	31 knots
Boats & landing craft carried	USCG Over the Horizon
Crew	3 officers, 2 chiefs, 25 enlisted
Armament	2 × Mk38 chain guns (USN) 2 × Mk19 grenade launchers 2 × .50 (12.7 mm) machine guns 6 × Stinger missiles

USS Tornado (PC-14) is the fourteenth and last Cyclone-class patrol ships, notable for being the only ship in the class designed with shaping features for signature management. She was laid down by Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana 25 August 1998 and launched 7 June 1999. She was commissioned by the United States Navy 24 June 2000, decommissioned 1 October 2004 and transferred to the United States Coast Guard as USCGC Tornado (WPC-14).

Background

Tornado moored along with three sister ships, in Philadelphia, September 2022

The primary mission of Cyclone class was to serve as a platform for maritime special operations, including interdiction, escort, non-combatant evacuation, reconnaissance, operational deception, intelligence collection, and tactical swimmer operations. Her small size, stealthy construction, and high speed were tailored to performing long-range Special Operations Forces (SOF) insertion and extraction and other SOF support duties, in particular U.S. Navy Seals.

The ship's operational capabilities were designed to meet the unique requirements of special warfare missions. The Cyclone class are capable of accelerating from stop to 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) in under three minutes, then move from full ahead to 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) astern in 60 seconds. In high-speed, hard-over turns, the ship barely heeled as the automatic stabilizers engaged.

In the mid-1990s when the Special Operations Command rejected them as too big for special operations missions, and the regular surface Navy dismissed them as too small for any of its missions. The Navy began looking for ways to phase out Tornado and her sister ships.

Operational history

Tornado in the Gulf of Mexico, December 2004

She was commissioned by the United States Navy 24 June 2000, decommissioned 1 October 2004 and transferred to the United States Coast Guard as USCGC Tornado (WPC-14).

Tornado was transferred back to the Navy on 30 September 2011, and was once again designated PC-14.

As of January 2018, USS Tornado was the only Cyclone-class patrol ship that still uses the MK38 25 mm Mod 1 Gun System. She was also the only known ship left in the U.S. Navy with Mod 1 Gun System. She is also the only ship in the class with signature management features. USS Tornado also held the distinction, other than USS Constitution, of being the last active U.S. Navy warship with all crew served weapons. In October 2018, Tornado was a participant in the 2018 Baltimore Fleet Week.

On 1 March 2019 Tornado deployed for patrol in the 4th Fleet area of responsibility, her first deployment in over 5 years. In May 2019, Tornado participated in Fleet Week being docked at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

Tornado was decommissioned on 18 February 2021 and is currently awaiting sale to a foreign military partner at the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia.

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

• Federation of American Scientists, Cyclone class ship characteristics
• Navsource.org ship history