On April 20, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang spoke about the information that the US agreed to transfer the patrol ship USCGC Morgenthau to Vietnam.
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| Vietnam's policy is to cooperate with countries to improve law enforcement capacity at sea, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, and support for fishermen, for humanitarian purposes, and to contribute to international cooperation," Ms. Hang said. |
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| Previously, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) approved the transfer of a large Hamilton-class patrol boat to Vietnam. This information was posted on the DSCA's official website on April 13, 2017. |
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| According to public information, the Hamilton-class patrol ship USCGC Morgenthau (WHEC 722) has just been decommissioned by the US Coast Guard and will be transferred to Vietnam under the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program. |
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| Before DSCA officially published this information, Vietnam had requested to buy 3 large patrol ships from the US, but the number approved by the US was 1 ship, this decision was approved since 2016. |
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| According to information released by the American manufacturer Avondale, the Hamilton-class ship has a size and displacement that is no less than that of large frigates. The ship has a displacement of up to 3,250 tons, a length of more than 115m, a width of over 13m, a draft of 4.6m, and a crew of 167 sailors and staff. |
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| To operate this large ship for long periods of time, the manufacturer equipped the USCGC Morgenthau with two diesel engines, allowing the ship to travel at a maximum speed of 29 nautical miles/h, travel 14,400km continuously without refueling, and have a reserve of 45 days. |
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| Designed as a patrol ship, firepower is not the USCGC Morgenthau's strong point. Therefore, although it has a larger displacement than the Gepard 3.9 class frigate, these ships are equipped with modest firepower. |
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| The weapon system of this class of ships includes: 76.2 mm Oto Breda naval gun, 20 mm Phalanx CIWS close-in defense system, 25 mm M242 Bushmaster automatic cannon, 12.7 mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun and 7.62 mm M240 light machine gun. (Photo in the article: USCGC Morgenthau ship decommissioning ceremony and Vietnam Coast Guard delegation visiting this ship in August 2016). |
According to Baodatviet
