NNS ''Okpabana'' is a

high endurance cutter The designation of high endurance cutter (WHEC) was created in 1965 when the United States Coast Guard adopted its own designation system. High endurance cutters encompass the largest cutters previously designated by the United States Navy as g ...

which formerly served with the U.S. Coast Guard as USCGC ''Gallatin'' (WHEC-721). Built at

Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. In 2011, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard was part of Huntington Ingalls Industries. It ...

s near

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, Louisiana, ''Gallatin'' was named for

Albert Gallatin Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan-American politician, diplomat, ethnologist, and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...

, the fourth and longest serving

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

. ''Gallatin'' completed her final patrol 11 December 2013 and was decommissioned in 2014 before being transferred to the

Nigerian Navy The Nigerian Navy (NN) is the Navy, naval branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerian armed forces. With more than 70 warships, it is categorised as the fourth strongest navy in Africa (after South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco). It is co ...

Construction

''Gallatin'' was laid down at Avondale Shipyards on 17 April 1967, as the seventh ship of her class. She was launched on 18 November 1967 and was commissioned on 20 December 1968.

Design

The ship is designed as a high endurance cutter. Her cruising range of at ), and an flight deck, capable of handling helicopters, make the ship an ideal platform for extended patrol missions. ''Gallantin'' was one of the first naval vessels built with a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) turbine propulsion plant. Her engineering plant includes two

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

s, and two

gas turbine A gas turbine or gas turbine engine is a type of Internal combustion engine#Continuous combustion, continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas gene ...

s, which can achieve a top speed of . Two diameter

controllable pitch propeller Controllability is an important property of a control system and plays a crucial role in many regulation problems, such as the stabilization of unstable systems using feedback, tracking problems, obtaining optimal control strategies, or, simply p ...

s, combined with a retractable and rotatable bow propulsion unit, give the ship high maneuverability. The ship's capabilities are enhanced by advanced air search and surface search radars, including the AN/SPS-73 digital surface radar system that incorporates a state of the art computerized collision avoidance system. The ship uses the Shipboard Command and Control System (SCCS), which employs a network of computers including large screen displays and a dedicated satellite network for communications. A closed circuit TV system enables the Commanding Officer to monitor flight deck operations, machinery conditions, towing, damage control, and related activities from the bridge.

History

''Gallatin''s missions included enforcement of all U.S. maritime laws and treaties, fisheries conservation, marine pollution response, defense readiness, and search and rescue. ''Gallatin'' served with the United States Coast Guard until 31 March 2014, when she was decommissioned. On 7 May, she was transferred to the

and renamed ''Okpabana''.

Nigerian service

On 19 February 2016 NNS ''Okpabana'' recaptured the pirated tanker ''Maximus'' in the Gulf of Guinea, killing one pirate and capturing six others. On 7 October 2020 she performed training exercises with the USS Hershel "Woody" Williams.

Photos

File:USCGC Gallatin (WHEC-721) at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads on 30 March 1988 (6449555).jpg, USCGC ''Gallatin'' (WHEC-721) File:USCG Gallatin Mk 75 firing.jpg, ''Gallatin'' fires her 76 mm Mk 75 gun during a live-fire exercise

References

External links

"''Gallatin'' home page"
U.S. Coast Guard, 30 August 2008
"History of the ''Gallatin''"
U.S. Coast Guard, 9 September 2008
"NNS OKPABANA ARRIVED NIGERIA AMID CHEERS"
Michael Mortimer, 20 March 2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Okpabana Hamilton-class cutters of the Nigerian Navy Hamilton-class cutters Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana 1967 ships