USS TUCUMCARI (PGH-2)

The 'USS ''Tucumcari'' (PGH-2)' was a Boeing-built hydrofoil. Named after Tucumcari, New Mexico, it was the basis for the technology used in the ''Pegasus''-class patrol boats and the Jetfoil ferries. It used computer-controlled fully submerged foils and waterjet propulsion with one foil at the bow and 2 on the sides. Only one of the class was built, but no follow-ons to the rival Grumman boat were built. It was built at a cost of $4 million at Boeing's Renton facility on Lake Washington, along with later hydrofoils. Boeing's previous design was the USS ''High Point'' (PCH-1) which used propellers and an aft-mounted single foil and forward sides.
''Tucumcari'' was laid down on 1 September 1966 at Seattle, Washington by the Marine Branch of the Boeing Company's Aerospace Group; launched on 15 July 1967; and delivered to the Navy on 7 March 1968. Placed "in service" on that day, the ship's first officer-in-charge was Lieutenant Marvin H. Mandles, USNR. ''Tucumcari'', an extremely fast, highly maneuverable, experimental hydrofoil gunboat designed to perform well even in heavy weather, represented the culmination of 10 years of hydrofoil development. The new gunboat arrived in San Diego, her home port, in July of 1968. She conducted operational evaluation tests With Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, and participated in exercises. In addition, the craft conducted day and night operations with the Fleet with ships ranging from cruisers to patrol craft. During her tour of duty in San Diego, she performed a mission of mercy, rendezvousing with a Navy tug beyond helicopter range and receiving on board one of the tug's crewmen for transportation to San Diego for emergency leave. After a year of operations out of San Diego, ''Tucumcari'' was deployed to Vietnamese waters. She spent most of her six months in the combat zone assigned to "Operation Market Time," the inshore patrol established to stop the flow from the north of communist arms and infiltrators. While performing this duty, she logged 200 hours of foilborne operations including day and night, all-weather, and high sea-state missions. She also conducted underway replenishments with larger fleet units and vertical replenishment from helicopters. The latter even included medical evacuation operations and the transfer of cargo loads.
''Tucumcari'' returned to San Diego in March, 1970 and operated off the west coast until transferred to the Atlantic Fleet in August. After operating off the east coast into 1971, ''Tucumcari'' was slated to deploy to northern Europe and to the Mediterranean to demonstrate the capability of hydrofoil propulsion for other NATO nations. It was hoped that the demonstration would stimulate the development and production of a NATO guided missile hydrofoil. On 22 March 1971, ''Tucumcari'' was deck-loaded "piggyback" on board the USS ''Wood County'' (LST-1178), secured in a specially-constructed cradle on the main deck, at Little Creek, Virginia in preparation for a tour to promote the Navy's newest developments in hydrofoil technology. Three days later, the tank landing ship sailed from Little Creek, bound for the first stop on the special demonstration deployment. Arriving in Copenhagen on 5 April, Tucumcari was off-loaded on the 13th and readied for her first tests. While in Danish waters, the patrol craft participated in Exercise "Evil Edge," a joint West German, Danish, and American patrol boat exercise. During "Evil Edge," the gunboat made simulated attacks against West German destroyers.

Over the ensuing months, ''Wood County'' and ''Tucumcari'' visited seven other NATO nations and 16 ports (including Copenhagen and Frederickshaven, Denmark): Kiel and Olpenitz, Germany; Portsmouth and the Isle of Portland, England; and Rendsburg, Germany. Then, after a transit of the Kiel Canal, she stopped at Rosyth, Scotland; Brest and Toulon, France; Naples, Brindisi, La Spezia, and Augusta, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Golcuk, Turkey. ''Tucumcari'' was demonstrated in hopes that NATO would develop a guided-missile hydrofoil weapons system. In addition to providing a base of operations and facilities for briefings and discussions between United States liaison officers and foreign representatives, ''Wood County'' provided logistics support, messing and berthing facilities, and engaged in numerous public relations efforts to promote international goodwill. Concluding the last of these tests on 25 September, ''Wood County''(with ''Tucumcari'' safely nestled on board) sailed for Little Creek on 1 October. The performance of ''Wood County'' and ''Tucumcari'' both elicited praise from the Chief of Naval Operations; Commander Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; the United States NATO Mission; Commander in Chief, United States Naval Forces Europe, and others.
Homeported at Little Creek, ''Tucumcari'' operated with the Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Force into the autumn of 1972. On 16 November of that year she ran aground seven miles west of Puerto Rico during night operations with amphibious forces. Fortunately she suffered no personnel casualties. While she was being pulled off the coral reef, the craft incurred more damage, so severe that she could not be economically repaired. Accordingly, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 7 November 1973 and transferred to the Naval Ship and Research Development Center at Annapolis, Maryland. She was subsequently used as a test hulk for structural evaluation and fire containment tests into the mid-1970s. Her final fate is unknown.

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See also

External links

See also

★ List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy

External links

★ foils.org reference with pictures

★ Navsource.org ''Tucumcari'' (PGH 2)