View source for USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715)

{{Short description|Hamilton-class cutter of the US Coast Guard}}
{{Other ships|USS Alexander Hamilton}}
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|Ship image=USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715).jpg
|Ship caption=USCGC ''Hamilton'' (WHEC-715)
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United States|coast guard-1953}}
|Ship name=''Hamilton''
|Ship namesake=[[Alexander Hamilton]]
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|Ship builder=[[Avondale Shipyard]]s
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|Ship launched=December 18, 1965
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|Ship commissioned=March 18, 1967
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|Ship decommissioned=March 28, 2011
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|Ship motto=*''Semper Paratus''
*(Always Ready)
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|Ship fate=Decommissioned and transferred as an Excess Defense Article to the Philippines as {{ship|BRP|Gregorio del Pilar|FF-15|6}}
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|Ship badge= [[File:USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) (crest).gif|100px]]
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class= {{sclass|Hamilton|cutter|0}} [[high endurance cutter]]
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|Ship displacement=3,250 tons
|Ship length={{convert|378|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|43|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
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|Ship propulsion=Two [[Fairbanks-Morse]] [[diesel engines]] and two [[Pratt & Whitney]] gas [[turbine]] engines
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|Ship speed={{convert|28|kn|km/h|0}} max
|Ship range={{convert|14000|nmi|km|-2}}
|Ship endurance= 45 days
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|Ship complement=167
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|Ship sensors=[[AN/SPS-40]] air-search radar [[MK 92 Fire Control System]]
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|Ship armament=* 1 × [[Otobreda 76 mm]] cannon
* 2 × 25 mm [[M242 Bushmaster|Mk38]] guns
* 1 × 20 mm [[Phalanx CIWS]]
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'''USCGC ''Hamilton'' (WHEC-715)''' was a [[United States Coast Guard]] [[high endurance cutter]] and the lead ship of its [[Hamilton-class cutter|class]]. It was based at [[Boston]], Massachusetts from [[Ship commissioning|commissioning]] until 1991, then out of [[San Pedro, California|San Pedro]], California before it was moved to its last home port in [[San Diego]], California. It was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on December 18, 1965 at [[Avondale Shipyard]]s near [[New Orleans]], Louisiana and named for [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] [[Alexander Hamilton]], the first [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]] and founder of the [[United States Revenue Cutter Service]]. It was commissioned on March 18, 1967.

It was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on March 28, 2011 and transferred to the [[Philippine Navy]] as an excess defense article under the Foreign Assistance Act on May 13, 2011 as {{ship|BRP|Gregorio del Pilar|PF-15|6}}.

==Design==
The [[United States Coast Guard]] designed a high level of habitability into ''Hamilton''. Living compartments and areas provided fairly comfortable accommodations, including air conditioning, for the 173 men and women aboard.<ref name="Hist">{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/cgcHamilton/history.asp |title=History of USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) |access-date=2008-08-08 |date=2008-06-20 |work=USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) official web site |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] }}</ref>

===Propulsion===
''Hamilton'' was the first U.S. military vessel to employ the now common shipboard application of aircraft [[gas turbine]] jet engines and controllable pitch [[propeller]]s. Its two {{convert|18000|hp|adj=on|lk=in}} [[Pratt & Whitney]]<ref name='Gsorg'>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/whec-378.htm |title=WHEC 378' Hamilton class |access-date=2008-08-08 |date=2005-04-27 |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org }}</ref> gas turbines could propel it at speeds up to {{convert|28|kn|km/h|0|lk=in}}. It also has two {{convert|3500|hp|adj=on}} [[Fairbanks-Morse]]<ref name='Gsorg'/> [[diesel engine]]s, capable of driving it economically at {{convert|17|kn|km/h|0}} for up to {{convert|14400|nmi|km|-2|lk=in}} without refueling.<ref name='Gsorg'/>  A retractable/rotatable [[bow thruster|bow propulsion unit]] provides exceptional maneuverability in tight situations.

===Flight support===

''Hamilton''{{'}}s [[flight deck]] and [[hangar]], capable of handling both Coast Guard and [[United States Navy]] helicopters, extended the vessel's [[Missions of the United States Coast Guard|rescue and maritime law enforcement]] operations.

==Renovation==
In 1988, ''Hamilton'' completed a three-year fleet renovation and modernization that provided it with modern weapons and electronics systems, including Harpoon missiles and a modernized [[anti-submarine warfare]] suite. All spaces and machinery were also overhauled and refurbished. The new technology enabled it to operate seamlessly with the United States Navy.<ref name="Hist"/>

==Missions==
[[File:Hamilton in Alaska (6976323989).jpg|thumb|Coast Guard Cutter ''Hamilton'' makes its descent towards the Coast Guard Station Juneau pier after spending three months patrolling in the Bering Sea Feb. 4, 2011.]]
''Hamilton'' served a variety of missions with distinction. During a 1969–1970 deployment to [[Vietnam]], it interdicted weapons smugglers and fired more than 4,600 rounds in support of U.S. and [[South Vietnam]]ese troops ashore. From 1965–1975, it served on [[Atlantic Ocean]] stations, collecting valuable oceanographic data and conducting frequent search and rescue missions. It also directed the interdictions of over 21,000 [[Haiti]]an migrants throughout the [[Caribbean]] during Operation Able Manner. In 1994, it received the [[Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation]] for rescuing 135 Haitians after their sailboat capsized and sank. In 1996, it transited the [[Panama Canal]] and served as the command and control platform for Operation Frontier Shield, a multi-agency effort to curtail the influx of [[narcotic]]s into the United States. ''Hamilton'' intercepted 14 drug-laden vessels carrying more than 115 tons of contraband worth 200 million dollars. In 1999, ''Hamilton'' seized over {{convert|2,700|kg}} of [[cocaine]] bound for the U.S. in the Eastern [[Pacific Ocean]]. It frequently patrolled the [[Bering Sea]] off the [[Alaska]]n coast at the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) which separates the Russian and the United States{{'}} [[exclusive economic zone]]s (EEZ).  ''Hamilton''{{'}}s presence on the MBL deters foreign fishing vessels from fishing in the U.S. EEZ.<ref name="Hist"/>

In March 2007, ''Hamilton'' assisted {{USCGC|Sherman|WHEC-720|2}} in the largest recorded maritime drug bust in history. The two vessels intercepted the Panamanian-flagged fishing vessel ''Gatun'' in international waters and seized {{convert|20|metric ton}} of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $600 million. It was the largest drug bust in US history, and the largest interdiction at sea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/786/151219/ |title=Coast Guard Makes Recort Maritime Cocaine Seizure |access-date=2008-08-08 |last=Carter |first=Cmdr. Jeff |date=March 21, 2007 |work=USCG Press Statement |publisher=[[United States Coast Guard]] }}</ref>

==Additional==
The [[Navy League Cadet Corps|U.S. Navy League Cadet Corps (NLCC)]] has a commissioned unit named after USCGC ''Hamilton''. The unit's name is Training Ship Hamilton; it is located in San Pedro, California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://havendivision.webs.com/|title=Home|website=USNSCC HAVEN DIVISION / USNLCC T.S. HAMILTON|access-date=2022-04-17}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715)}}
* [http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/cgchamilton/ USCGC ''Hamilton'' WHEC-715 home page]
* [http://www.uscg.mil/announcements/alcoast/130-11_alcoast.txt USCG Decommissioning announcement]

{{Hamilton class cutter}}
{{Alexander Hamilton}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton (Whec-715)}}
[[Category:Ships of the United States Coast Guard]]
[[Category:Hamilton-class cutters]]
[[Category:1965 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana]]