For Immediate Release

March 14, 2000

NAVY APPROVES PURCHASE OF GUARDIAN MARINE BOAT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy today approved the release of $4 million to purchase an 85-foot Fast Patrol Craft built by Guardian Marine, International at Westport Shipyard, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) and U.S. Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) said Tuesday. The ship will be officially transferred to the Navy on Saturday, after which it will travel to Patuxent River Naval Station in Maryland for testing and evaluation in support of Navy and Marine Corps missions including SEAL training.

    Congressman Dicks and Rep. Brian Baird had urged the Navy to consider using the ship for various maritime missions because of its speed – 45 knots– its maintainability and its versatility for missions such as those conducted by the Navy’s elite SEAL teams. The ship accommodates a crew of 16 and it can be outfitted with various deck-mounted armaments.

    The Navy purchase will also boost the potential for the company to sell additional ships to other buyers, including foreign military organizations who have expressed interest, said Rep. Dicks, who serves on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in the House. Dicks added the funding for the ship to the Defense Department’s appropriations bill last fall, after consulting with Navy officials who were keenly interested in testing the ship’s capability for special forces activity.

    "The Navy is getting a fast, safe and powerful new ship which will be easy to maintain and which will greatly expand the Navy’s training and special operations capabilities," Rep. Dicks said.

    "I am very pleased by the Navy’s decision to purchase this Fast Patrol Craft. Westport Shipyard has an extremely capable workforce and this sale is an important recognition of the quality products made in Southwest Washington. The Navy’s purchase represents a positive endorsement that can lead to increased sales, stimulation of the local economy, and new jobs in Westport," said Rep. Baird.

    Guardian Marine personnel will sail the ship to the east coast later this month and it is expected to arrive in Maryland by mid-April. On this Saturday, March 18th, Congressman Baird and Dicks will depart from Westport on the fast patrol ship and join the Guardian Marine crew on the first leg of the journey to Maryland.

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