Island-class patrol boat

The Island-class patrol boat is a class of cutters of the United States Coast Guard. 49 cutters of the class were built, of which 41 remain in commission. Their hull numbers are WPB-1301 through WPB-1349.

Island-Class Patrol Boat Overview
The 110' Island-class patrol boats are a U.S. Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat. With excellent range and seakeeping capabilities, the Island class, all named after U.S. islands, replaced the older 95-foot s. These cutters are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment and are used on the front lines of the Coast Guard's Maritime Homeland Security, Migrant Interdiction, Fisheries Enforcement, and Search-and-Rescue missions.

Conversion problems
As built, these vessels were all 110 ft in length. In 2002 as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program, the USCG began refitting these vessels, adding 13 ft to the stern to make room for a high-speed stern launching ramp, and replacing the superstructure so that these vessels had enough room to accommodate mixed gender crews. The refit added about 15 tons to the vessel's displacement, and reduced its maximum speed by approximately one knot.

In 2005, then-Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas H. Collins made the decision to stop the contractor's conversion at eight hulls when sea trials revealed intractable structural flaws.

In August 2006, a Lockheed Martin engineer went public with allegations that the company and the Coast Guard were ignoring serious security flaws in the refitting project, and that they were likely to repeat the same mistakes on similar projects. The flaws included blind spots in watch cameras, FLIR equipment not suitable for operating under extreme temperatures, and the use of non-shielded cables in secure communications systems, a violation of TEMPEST standards.

In late November 2006 all eight of the 123' WPBs were taken out of service due to debilitating problems with their hulls. These as well as other issues - such as C4ISR problems - drove the program $60 million over budget, triple the original bid for the eight boats converted. The 41 unmodified 110's are now being pressed harder to take up the slack.