U.S. Navy Turns Away From Small Warships Despite Growing Demand, Tactical Relevance

While small ships jostle in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy is celebrating their departure from the messy business of managing small combatants. After shedding fourteen long-unloved Cyclone class (PC-1) coastal patrol ships, the Navy has effectively handed the responsibility for managing small ship operations, engagement and training to the already overtasked and poorly-funded U.S. Coast Guard.

The decision is hard to justify. Outside of the U.S. Navy, interest in small craft is high. Allies have lined up to claim many of the U.S. Navy’s fourteen long-unloved 355-ton Cyclone class coastal patrol ships. As of today, eleven old Cyclones have been commissioned into three foreign Navies, and one more may soon follow. The U.S. Coast Guard is busy putting 65 small Sentinel class cutters into service, and it still wants a few more.