MarineLog reports that Damen has secured a contract with the government of the Bahamas.
“It covers the acquisition of nine vessels for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and construction work for their naval bases plus additional dredging works to accomodate new long range patrol craft.”
The nine vessels are in three class. One, a “San Lander 5612,” is a small ro/ro much like the old LCUs, intended for disaster response. Four will be a version of Damen’s, Stan Patrol 4207, 42 meter patrol boats, which includes the Canadian patrol boats we discussed earlier, that are closely related to the Coast Guard’s own Fast Response Cutter.
What I found particularly interesting were the four smaller patrol boats with a Damen developed “axe bow” because they may give us a glimpse at the future replacement for the 87 foot “Marine Protecctor” class WPBs (27 meters long, 6 meter beam), which was also a Damen design. Its designation, SPa 3007, indicates it is 30 meters long and a 7 meter beam (98.4 ft long, 23 ft beam).
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
This is why the Royal Bahamas Defence should be modeled after the US Coast Guard and maybe the US Coast Guard can help them run the maritime force. The ones they are getting is the STAN PATROL 4207, which I believe is similar to our FRC. What they should have gotten is what the Bulgarian Border Police has called the Offshore Patrol Vessel 950. Here’s the Link to the Virtual tour http://www.damen.nl/en/news/virtual-tours
For the Royal Bahamas Defence, they should center their force around an OPV with a small patrol boat force. Their air wing should consist of A-29 Super Tucanos and Helicopters.
Here’s a virtual tour of the ship that the Royal Bahamas Defense force should have gotten that the Bulgarian Border Police has called the Offshore Patrol Vessel 950 http://www.panpics.nl/klanthosting/damen/opv950_web_short/flash/TourWeaver_Project36_web_short.html
You don’t have any idea how the U.S. Coast Guard or the military in general works. You obviously don’t understand what we do either, or any other Coast Guard for that matter based on every post you’ve ever made. Why do you keep giving advice on matters for which you have no knowledge or experience. Instead of pretending to be an “internet expert” , don’t you think it’s about time after 7 years that you should finally start getting involved with your Flotilla and get trained and qualified in some Auxiliary mission, or did you join just so you could buy uniforms? Instead of playing on the internet you have the opportunity to get involved be an active member but for some reason after so many years you still don’t do it? What are you waiting for??
@Guest Coastie
Your just Another Armchair Admiral who thinks he knows it all from the couch. So let me ask, how many times have you been out at sea. How many ships/cutters have you sailed and how many combat tours have you served. How many times you have seen Life and death. You don’t know jack about the military geopolitics and the real implications of the world. In reality you’re just a failed Coastie who couldn’t make it in CGA or even OCS on an Academic level and Physical level. No wonder why you didn’t get your cutterman’s badge or your Surfman’s badge. You couldn’t even hack the AST school if your life depended upon it. Face it Guest Coastie, you just Another Armchair Admiral who couldn’t get high enough in the US Coast Guard and maybe failed at some exam in the US Coast Guard and couldn’t get promoted.
Nicky, Guest Coastie, Enough guys, no more personal attacks.
@ Nicky, we’ve covered this before. I’m a BM1, with 6 years sea time, 3 cutters , and yes…. a permanent Cutterman’s Badge. Plus prior service in the U.S. Army (31B). Plus in my off duty time I serve and volunteer time to the Coast Guard Auxiliary and will continue to do so when I leave the Coast Guard. So what was your experience again? I’m trying to motivate you to get off your duff and get involved with your Flotilla, instead of hanging out on this blog pretending to be an expert. You joined 7-8 years ago and have yet to gain any qualification or complete anything that you’ve started. In fact you have not logged a single hour of activity in all of that time. If you want to be part of the Coast Guard, than put your Auxiliary membership to use, start getting involved in some way.
Cue the mission impossible theme.
Oh Lordy, Lordy.
Cue any theme you want, he questioned my experience, I answered his concerns. But of course he already knew the answers.
“Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
Take a breath Boats…
Question still remains. @ Nicky, what are you going to do? Your Flotilla has been waiting 7 years for you to get involved in some way, what are you waiting for? Currently your members are reluctant to mentor you because you quit everything you start almost right away. If you want to be part of the “team”, get serious, approach your FC, get to it, and stick with it. Posting here doesn’t make you a part of Team Coast Guard.
Maybe each of you could posit some objective examples of where each other is incorrect? Which specific facets of the ships posited are right or wrong for the USCG and why?
The fact of the matter is the average person is barely competent at what they do regardless of time served and where they served. Most people do enough to get by. (Now having said that the standards for getting by can be very high and therefore drive competence to a pretty high level). Also years of experience are rarely an indication of actual experience. Time allows for one to proactively search out knowledge not necessarily to be successful at it or automatically absorb experience proportional to the years in the field. Many people with 20 years experience have 5 years experience 4X over because they do the minimum required. On the other hand a motivated and intelligent person could avail themselves to a lot of experience in several years. Given this I prefer to focus on the validity of the specific points made to support an argument not the reciting of resumes. So far neither of you has objectively supported your arguments.
I have addressed in detail why many of the vessels Nicky pushes are wrong for our service in many other threads. He keeps re-posting the same 2 or 3 vessels in every new thread. Even when others explain the problems to him, in the next new thread he pushes the same vessels again. He seems unable to learn or listen to anyone that actually has experience.
Chuck, speaking of Damen, check this out… it’s their latest OPV presentation: http://www.offshore-patrol-security.com/cms-assets/documents/59716-108335.damen-opv-presentation-portsmouth-2012.pdf
Guess what’s on the last page… their OPC design!
Thanks, Very interesting. Things I noted:
—8000kW propulsion system suggests 22 knots max speed, the minimum rather than the “objective” 25 knots which would have required closer to 15,000 kW.
—Nice to see several alternatives for how to make the required horsepower.
—Looked like there was provision for accessing the open area under the flight deck by lifting soft patches in the flight deck. This may mean that the ship could use mission modules in the form of containerized loads like those being developed for the Littoral Combat Ships.
—The only clues that this may not actually be a design proposed for the OPC contract are (1) the fact that the artist’s concepts don’t include the 25mm Mk 38 mod2 mount specified, and (2) the accommodations section does not include accommodations for the numbers specified in the RFP.
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@Nicky The RBDF won’t be modelling itself after the USCG. If you look at the structure and training that you will find that All officers are Royal Navy trained. And while the RBDF started out as being modeled after the RN, they are now trying to forge their own identity. Remember, while small in appearance, the RBDF is not a coast guard. It is a navy, that has already in the past, conducted regional peacekeeping missions.
Tucanos are a waste of time as they are propeller driven air craft. The BAe Hawk or the Yak 130 would be better as a low cost fast jet role, or even the Saab Gripen.
The Swedes do offer an large range of low cost and effective military equipment.
But anyway, the RBDF has chosen well on its new service fleet, to meet its own requirements.
The Bahamas has taken delivery of the four Damen StanPatrol 4207 boats. http://www.bairdmaritime.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16619:four-stan-patrol-4207-vessels-delivered-to-the-bahamas-&catid=73&Itemid=65
These are smaller versions of the Webber class.
Also included in the deal is refit of two large patrol boats (called corvettes here):
http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2016/august-2016-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/4280-damen-to-refit-royal-bahamas-defence-force-corvette-hmbs-nassau.html
A related post from India’s Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA)
http://idsa.in/idsacomments/coast-guards-western-hemisphere-the-dutch-connection_sbmaharaj_270916
It looks primarily at Damen’s sales in the Western Hemisphere.
Brought to my attention by Sanjay.
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