Navy Week: USS Hurricane

The USS Hurricane, a patrol coastal ship, was deployed earlier this year to Bahrain for duty in the Arabian Sea.

The USS Hurricane is among the vessels scheduled to visit Toledo during Navy week.

Public tours: Noon-7 p.m.: Friday, Aug. 24; Saturday, Aug. 25; and Sunday, Aug. 26.

Built: 1992, Lockport, La. Commissioned: 1993

Type of ship: Coastal patrol craft, a member of the Cyclone class.

Engines: 4 Paxman diesels

Home port: Norfolk.

Normal operating area: Atlantic Coast

Crew: 28 officers and enlisted

Mission: The primary mission of the Hurricane and other members of the Cyclone class is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance.

Capabilities and equipment: The 179-foot vessels may travel at greater than 30 knots and draw just eight feet of water for navigation. Armaments include two 25-mm "chain" machine guns, two automatic grenade launchers, and two .50-caliber machine guns. Their shallow draft supports their use to defend and monitor harbors and ports and respond to potential threats or criminal activity in coastal waters. Of the 13 vessels in this class, five have been loaned in recent years to the Coast Guard.

Other information: Forward-based members of the class are home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, and have been assigned to Persian Gulf maritime security operations that include protection of oil terminals and sea-based infrastructure in Iraq, plus various anti-terrorism assignments. The Hurricane's crew was deployed to Bahrain for duty in the Arabian Sea from September through February, and has recently been training for another deployment. Rather than send the Cyclone-class ships overseas for such tours, the Norfolk-based crews rotate through such assignments and fly for their overseas duty to serve on the same class of ship.