USCGC Point Comfort

Point Comfort was built to accommodate an 8-man crew.Scheina, p 71 She was powered by two {{convert|600|hp|0|abbr=on}} VT600 Cummins diesel main drive engines and had two five-bladed {{convert|42|inch|m|abbr=on}} propellers. The main drive engines were later replaced by {{convert|800|hp|0|abbr=on}} VT800 Cummins engines. Water tank capacity was {{convert|1550|gal|liters|}} and fuel tank capacity was {{convert|1840|gal|liters|}} at 95% full.Scheina, p 71 Engine exhaust was ported through the transom rather than through a conventional stack and this permitted a 360 degree view from the bridge; a feature that was very useful in search and rescue work as well as a combat environment.Scotti, p 165

The design specifications for Point Comfort included a steel hull for durability and an aluminum superstructure and longitudinally framed construction was used to save weight. Ease of operation with a small crew size was possible because of the non-manned main drive engine spaces. Controls and alarms located on the bridge allowed one man operation of the cutter thus eliminating a live engineer watch in the engine room.Scotti, p 165 Because of design, four men could operate the cutter; however, the need for resting watchstanders brought the crew size to eight men for normal domestic service.Scotti, p 165 The screws were designed for ease of replacement and could be changed without removing the cutter from the water. A clutch-in idle speed of three knots helped to conserve fuel on lengthy patrols and an eighteen knot maximum speed could get the cutter on scene quickly.Scotti, p 166 Air-conditioned interior spaces were a part of the original design for the Point class cutter. Interior access to the deckhouse was through a watertight door on the starboard side aft of the deckhouse. The deckhouse contained the cabin for the officer-in-charge and the executive petty officer.Scotti, p 166 The deckhouse also included a small arms locker, scuttlebutt, a small desk and head. Access to the lower deck and engine room was down a ladder. At the bottom of the ladder was the galley, mess and recreation deck. A watertight door at the front of the mess bulkhead led to the main crew quarters which was ten feet long and included six bunks that could be stowed, three bunks on each side. Forward of the bunks was the crew's head complete with a compact sink, shower and commode.Scotti, p 166 Accommodations for a 13-man crew were installed for Vietnam service.Scheina, p 72Scotti, p 10Scotti, p 219

After delivery in 1961, Point Comfort was assigned a homeport of Benicia, California, where she served as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat.

At the request of the United States Navy, in April 1965, she was alerted for service in South Vietnam and assigned to Coast Guard Squadron One in support of Operation Market Time along with 16 other Point class cutters.Larzelere, p 13Cutler, p 84 While the crew completed overseas training and weapons qualifications at Coast Guard Island and Camp Parks, California, Point Comfort was loaded onto a merchant ship, and transported to Subic Bay, Philippines in May 1965 where she was refitted for combat service. Shipyard modifications included installation of new single-sideband radio equipment, additional floodlights, small arms lockers, additional sound-powered phone circuits, and the addition of four M2 machine guns. The original bow mounted machine gun was replaced with a combination over-under .50 caliber machine gun/81mm trigger fired mortar that had been developed by the Coast Guard for service in Vietnam.Larzelere, p 21Cutler, p 82

For service in Vietnam, two officers were added to the crew complement to add seniority to the crew in the mission of interdicting vessels at sea.Larzelere, p 15

File:VTN Mortar Color Firing.jpg

Point Comfort was assigned to Division 11 of Squadron One to be based at An Thoi Naval Base on the southern tip of Phú Quốc island along with {{USCGC|Point Banks|WPB-82327|6}}, {{USCGC|Point Clear|WPB-82315|6}}, {{USCGC|Point Garnet|WPB-82310|6}}, {{USCGC|Point Glover|WPB-82307|6}}, {{USCGC|Point Grey|WPB-82324|6}}, {{USCGC|Point Marone|WPB-82331|6}}, {{USCGC|Point Mast|WPB-82316|6}} and {{USCGC|Point Young|WPB-82303|6}}. After sea trials, the Division left Subic Bay for An Thoi on 17 July 1965 in the company of {{USS|Floyd County|LST-762|6}}, their temporary support ship. After almost two weeks at sea, they arrived at their new duty station on 1 August and began patrolling the waters in the Gulf of Thailand near the Cà Mau Peninsula.Larzelere, p 51 Duty consisted of boarding Vietnamese junks to search for contraband weapons and ammunition and check the identification papers of persons on board. During one such boarding evolution on 7 August, Point Comfort came under fire from the shoreline in her first battle confrontation. A United States Air Force L-19 spotter plane attempted to warn Point Comfort of a Viet Cong (VC) machine gun nest near their position along the shoreline, but had no way to communicate with her except by flares dropped from the aircraft. The cutter crew didn't understand what was happening until they came under fire from the VC gun position. Radio communications procedures were improved after this incident.Larzelere, p 52 During September 1965, {{USS|Krishna|ARL-38|6}}, a repair ship outfitted for the repair of WPB's relieved the USS Floyd County. Also during this time, the WPB's were directed to paint the hulls and superstructures formula 20 deck gray to cover the stateside white paint. This increased the effectiveness of night patrols.Larzelere, p 54

Point Comfort along with Point Grey assisted Special Forces and Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) personnel in a raid of Hon Mot Island on 27 September 1965 providing transportation and medical evacuation for the raiding party.Larzelere, p 55

On 17 November 1969, Point Comfort was turned over to the Republic of Vietnam Navy as part of the Vietnamization of the war effort and recommissioned as RVNS Đào Thức (HQ-704).Scotti, p 209 It was decommissioned concurrent with the surrender of South Vietnam in 1975 and scrapped.

;Notes

{{reflist|2}}

;Bibliography

• {{cite book|last=Cutler|first=Thomas J.|author-link=Thomas J. Cutler|year=2000|title=Brown Water, Black Berets: Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam|publisher=Naval Institute Press, Annapolis|isbn=978-1-55750-196-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Larzelere|first=Alex|year=1997|title=The Coast Guard at War, Vietnam, 1965–1975|publisher=Naval Institute Press, Annapolis|isbn=978-1-55750-529-3}}
• {{cite book|last=Scheina|first=Robert L.|year=1990|title=U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946–1990|publisher=Naval Institute Press, Annapolis|isbn=978-0-87021-719-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Scotti|first=Paul C.|year=2000|title=Coast Guard Action in Vietnam: Stories of Those Who Served|publisher=Hellgate Press, Central Point, OR|isbn=978-1-55571-528-1}}
• {{cite web|last=Wells II|first=William R.|title=The United States Coast Guard's Piggyback 81mm Mortar/.50 cal. machine gun|publisher=Vietnam Magazine|date=August 1997|url=http://www.pcf45.com/misfire/81-50.html|access-date=8 October 2010}}

• [http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Point_Class_WPB_Index.asp "Point" Class 82-foot WPBs] Coast Guard Historian's website

{{Point class cutter}}

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Comfort

Category:1961 ships

Category:Vietnam War patrol vessels of the United States

Category:United States Coast Guard ships transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy

Category:Ships built by the United States Coast Guard Yard