USA gifts two patrol boats to Ukraine

On Thursday, September 27, in Baltimore, Maryland, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was presented with two Island-class patrol boats for the Ukrainian Navy. "These first two Island-class boats will become another brick in strengthening the naval alliance between the Ukrainian and American peoples,” Poroshenko posted on Facebook.

Island-class patrol vessels are boats designed for and used by the US Coast Guard for patrols and search-and-rescue operations in coastal waters. They are powered by twin-shaft, 5,280-horsepower, diesel engines that can propel the boat up to a speed of 29.5 knots or 54.6 kilometers per hour. Each vessel is 33 meters wide, with a 6.4-meter draught and 2-meter displacement. They each weigh up to 165 tons.

The boats are operated by up to 18 sailors, including three officers. Their armament consists of Mk 38 Mod 0 Bushmaster 25-mm automatic artillery systems and two M2HB 12.7-mm guns.

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers already agreed to the transfer of American boats to Ukraine several weeks ago. Talks of handing over the patrol boats to Ukraine began last year.

  Ukraine, USA, Island-class patrol boats

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