USCGC Rush (WHEC-723)
USCGC Rush (WHEC-723) was a United States Coast Guard high endurance Hamilton-class cutter that before being decommissioned was based out of USCG Base Sand Island, Honolulu, Hawaii, and performed regular patrols of Alaskan waters and the Bering Sea. Rush has the distinction of having ridden out "the most powerful storm, at least in terms of depth of pressure, to affect Alaska in modern history" of October 25, 1977.[1] Under command of Captain Norman Fernald, Rush sustained damage to her sonar dome and superstructure, but completed her patrol.
USCGC Rush (WHEC-723) | |
History | |
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Name: | USCGC Rush |
Namesake: | Richard Rush |
Builder: | Avondale Shipyards |
Cost: | $20 million |
Launched: | 16 November 1968 |
Homeport: | Honolulu, Hawaii |
Identification: |
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Motto: |
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Fate: | Transferred to the Bangladesh Navy |
General characteristics | |
Displacement: | 3,250 tons |
Length: | 378 ft (115.2 m) |
Beam: | 43 ft (13.1 m) |
Draft: | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
Propulsion: |
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Speed: | 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) |
Range: | 14,000 miles |
Endurance: | 45 days |
Boats & landing craft carried: | 2 Over-the-Horizon type |
Complement: | 167 personnel |
Sensors and processing systems: | AN/SPS-40 air-search radar |
Armament: |
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As all Hamilton-class cutters, Rush was constructed at Avondale Shipyard near New Orleans, Louisiana and launched November 16, 1968, she was the fifth Coast Guard Cutter to be named after Secretary of the Treasury Richard Rush, the nation's eighth Secretary of Treasury.
Decommissioning
On February 3, 2015, the United States Coast Guard officially decommissioned Rush with a ceremony held in Honolulu, Hawaii.[2]
Bangladesh Navy
The Coast Guard has transferred Rush (now BNS Somudra Avijan) to the Bangladesh Navy as part of a Foreign Military Sale through the Foreign Assistance Act.[3]
Rush is the Bangladesh Navy's second Hamilton-class cutter acquisition. The Bangladesh Navy's first Hamilton-class cutter acquired was USCGC Jarvis, given to Bangladesh in 2013. Jarvis is now named BNS Somudra Joy. The Bangladesh Navy designates these former Hamilton-class cutters as a "patrol frigate."
Awards
USCGC Rush has earned numerous awards in her storied history. Many of the Ship's awards were earned for heroic participation in the Vietnam War, as part of Operation Market Time. Awards listed were current to May 2014.[4]
1st Row | Coast Guard Commendation Medal | ||
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2nd Row | Combat Action Ribbon | Presidential Unit Citation w/ Hurricane Katrina clasp | Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award |
3rd Row | Coast Guard Unit Commendation w/ Operational Distinguishing Device and four stars | Navy Unit Commendation | Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ Operational Distinguishing Device and six stars |
4th Row | Coast Guard E Ribbon w/ seven stars | Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation | National Defense Service Medal w/ service star |
5th Row | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal | Vietnam Service Medal | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
6th Row | Humanitarian Service Medal | Special Operations Service Ribbon | Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon |
7th Row | Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation | Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation | Vietnam Campaign Medal |
Notes
- "USCG Transfers Cutter Rush Over To Bangladesh Navy". VesselFinder. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- Medals and Awards Manual, p. 2-5 to 19-1
References
United States Coast Guard. (2008). Medals and Awards Manual: COMDTINST M1650.25D. Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing Office.