Three ships to leave Naval Station Mayport for the last time

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three Naval Station Mayport ships will be leaving the base for the last time today.

Patrol coastal ships USS Shamal, USS Zephyr, and USS Tornado were decommissioned earlier this week. Zephyr and Shamal are set to be scrapped, while Tornado will be marked for potential foreign military sale.

“These three warships have served our Navy and our country well,” said Capt. Mike Meyer, Commander of Naval Surface Squadron Fourteen. “Each of them has operated well past their designed service life, with their crews contributing demonstrably to meeting our national objectives.”

All three ships were used in the counter-narcotic patrols and illegal migration patrols in the coastal waters of the United States, Central America and Caribbean Islands.

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Decommissioning of USS Zephyr NS Mayport

Zephyr has more than doubled her designed life service and would have turned 27 this October, while the youngest of the three, Tornado, would have been 21 this June. Patrol coastal ships were originally built with a 15-year design life service.

The decision to decommission these three ships stems from the fact that they have all exceeded their designed service life. Based on the rising cost of modernization efforts, the Navy will receive a better return by decommissioning and freeing up funds to invest in other platforms.

There are now a total of 10 patrol coastal ships remaining in service, all of which are homeported in Manama, Bahrain.

Cox Media Group