Vietnam's largest coast guard ship leaves Hawaii for home

At 3:00 a.m. this morning, November 21 (Vietnam time, 10:00 a.m. November 20 Hawaii time), the CSB 8020 ship of the Vietnam Coast Guard left the Oahu - Honolulu port (Hawaii, USA) on its way to Vietnam, according to the Hawaii Port Authority.

Ship CSB 8020 left Oahu, Hawaii on November 6. The ship departed on the morning of November 21 to return to Vietnam. Photo: Kakaako account

CSB 8020 was originally the US Coast Guard patrol boat Morgenthau (WHEC 722), which expired in April 2017 and was transferred to the Vietnam Coast Guard on May 25 in Honolulu (Hawaii, USA). When the Vietnam Coast Guard received it, the Morgenthau was renamed CSB 8020.

According to the Hawaii Port Authority, the CSB 8020 was previously anchored at Pier 3B of the US Coast Guard (CG Wharf 3B). After the handover, Vietnamese Coast Guard soldiers were trained to use the ship there. The ship was also repainted and given the number 8020 and the words Vietnam Coast Guard in Vietnamese and English on October 3-4.

After being repainted and given a new number, CSB 8020 with a Vietnamese crew made three voyages in the waters around the Hawaiian island of Oahu on November 6-9 and November 13-15. Some netizens posted photos of CSB 8020 moving out to sea to practice during this time.

The expected destination of the CSB 8020 could be Da Nang, according to previous information from Maritime Hawaii. The distance from Honolulu port to Da Nang is nearly 10,000 km. The CSB 8020 is expected to arrive in Vietnam on January 1, 2018, according to MarineTraffic.

With a length of 115 m, a maximum width of 13 m, a draft of 4.6 m, a displacement of 3,250 tons, a range of 22,530 km, and a maximum speed of 29 knots (53.7 km/h), CSB 8020 is the largest ship of the Vietnam Coast Guard to date.

CSB 8020 is the eighth Hamilton-class cutter that the US Coast Guard has transferred to a foreign country through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) surplus weapons sales program of the US Department of Defense. This is also the first cutter that the US Coast Guard has transferred to a foreign Coast Guard (previous transfers were to navies of countries such as Nigeria, Bangladesh, and the Philippines).

CSB 8020 at the US Coast Guard Wharf (CG Wharf 3B) in Oahu - Honolulu, September 2017. Photo: JOSIAH VOEGTLY ACCOUNT

CSB 8020 is anchored at Pier 3B of the US Coast Guard Wharf (CG Wharf 3B) on Sand Island, Oahu. Photo: Google Maps

The Hamilton-class cutter was built in the 1960s to warship standards, so it is very durable and can withstand strong winds and waves, so this class of cutter is called a high endurance cutter.

The ship has 160 officers and sailors, operating continuously for 45 days at sea. The ship also carries a helicopter, and has a retractable dome-shaped helicopter hangar. In addition to the functions of patrolling territorial waters, search and rescue, and ocean surveying, the Hamilton-class coast guard ship also operates as a warship (when necessary, it can participate in the combat formation of an aircraft carrier) and can operate in any sea area in the world.

According to TTO