During a formal ceremony at Alexandria, Egypt on Monday 21st March the former Cyclone Class Patrol Ships USS HURRICANE (PC 3), USS SIROCCO (PC 6), and USS THUNDERBOLT (PC 12) were handed over to the Egyptian Navy , after several weeks of preparation, training, and professional exchanges between US Navy sailors and their Egyptian counterparts.
Above photo is of USS HURRICANE PC 3 at San Diego, California, USA back to October 2004
The trio were sailed from Bahrain to Egypt during a month-long journey starting from January around the Arabian Peninsula before turning them over to Egypt. US and Egyptian crewmembers worked side-by-side, navigating the 3 patrol craft on a 4,000-mile transit to Alexandria that included port visits to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates, Duqm, Oman, Djibouti, and Berenice, Egypt.
Below photos are of USS THUNDERBOLT PC 12 at Grand Harbour, Malta back to June 2000.
The Egyptian Navy currently commands Combined Task Force 153, one of four multinational task forces organized under US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The task force coordinates multinational maritime security efforts in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden.
Fourteen Cyclone class vessels were built in the 1990s for the US Navy (Originally 16 were planned) for coastal patrol and in support of special operations forces. The majority were deployed to the Persian Gulf following the 2003 invasion of Iraq and remained in Bahrain to keep watch for small boat threats as they escorted oil tankers and other commercial shipping. In March 2022, Bahrain received five of the vessels after they were decommissioned.
Philippine Navy and United States Coast Guard (USCG) operate the class.
