Russia Reportedly Sinks Former US Coast Guard Patrol Boat Donated To Ukraine
In the latest turn of events, it has been reported that the former U.S. Coast Guard Island Class patrol boat, christened the Sloviansk upon its transfer to the Ukrainian Navy in 2019, met its demise in the aftermath of an airstrike orchestrated by Russian forces. Volodymyr Novatsky, the mayor of Yuzhny, a prominent port city, made the revelation.
As of March 3, the Sloviansk patrol boat succumbed to the impact of an enemy aircraft, resulting in its submersion and the unfortunate disappearance of an undisclosed number of crew members, including a resident from Mayor Novatsky’s jurisdiction.
The vessel, originally named the Coast Guard cutter Cushing, had found its homeport in Odesa, Ukraine, alongside another transferred U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat, the Drummond, renamed Starobilsk. This maritime duo was later joined by the Sumy and Fastiv, previously known as the Island Class patrol boats Ocracoke and Washington, respectively, following their donation to Ukraine in 2019.
These donations were part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of International Acquisition Excess Defense Articles Program, entailing the training of the vessels’ crews at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore. The Coast Guard Cutter Transition Division Training Team oversaw this training agreement.
An additional Island Class patrol boat, the Kiska, set to be renamed Kubrak upon delivery to Ukraine in January 2022, had its crew trained in Baltimore by October 22. The current status of the Kubrak’s departure from the Coast Guard Yard remains uncertain.
Official comments from the Coast Guard regarding the loss of the former Cushing have not been disclosed. Lieutenant Commander Brittany Panetta, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, maintained that it would be inappropriate for active-duty service members with ties to the sunken ship to discuss the incident publicly.
The Island Class vessels, numbering 49 and constructed between 1985 and 1992, were designed for diverse maritime tasks, including offshore surveillance, law enforcement, and search and rescue operations. Armed with a Mk 38 Mod 0 Bushmaster machine gun system and two Browning M2HB heavy machine guns, these vessels served in various capacities domestically and internationally. Presently, 15 remain in U.S. service, while others operate in the Coast Guards of Georgia, Costa Rica, and Pakistan.
The Island Class is gradually being replaced by the Sentinel-class fast response cutters, with 45 of the intended 64 units already operational.
In the wake of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Black Sea has witnessed a steady deterioration. Recent reports and social media updates revealed Ukraine intentionally sinking its flagship frigate, the Hetman Sahaidachny, on March 3 in Mykolaiv. Additionally, there are accounts of a ship fire off Odesa on March 7, accompanied by images depicting billowing smoke from the Russian corvette Vasily Bykov—a vessel implicated in the assault on the Ukrainian outpost of Snake Island on February 24.