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ARC Valle Del Cauca

ARC Valle Del Cauca was formerly named USCGC Durable (WMEC 628), while previously belonging to the US Coast Guard. The ship was built in 1968 and has gone through several overhauls. Recently, the United States donated the Coast Guard ship to the Colombian navy, where it was then renamed. After having been deactivated for two years at the naval shipyards in Baltimore, the Colombians commissioned the ship Sept. 4 at the Coast Guard headquarters in Washington DC.

The ship is the only one in the cutter class that is now part of the Columbia navy and will make its home port in Bahia Malaga Navy Base. The primary mission of ARC Valle del Cauca's crew is counter-narcotics operations off the coast of Colombia. According to Lt. Jason Testa, a U.S. Navy exchange officer currently with the Colombian navy, the Colombian sailors had confiscated more than 39,000 kilos of cocaine in the first nine months of 2003.

The 210-ft. long and 34-ft. wide ship is equipped with commercial "off-the-shelf" technology, as well as commonly used equipment found aboard U.S. ships. The former Coast Guard ship can cruise through the waters at a maximum speed of 17 knots.

The 210-foot cutters were added to the Coast Guard as part of an effort to upgrade the aging fleet of World War II-era cutters. The Coast Guard's Naval Engineering Division designed these cutters for search and rescue and law enforcement patrols of a "medium endurance"--i.e. they could conduct patrols of up to three weeks without requiring replenishment.

The outward appearance of these new cutters reflected the evolving nature of Coast Guard operations during the latter part of the 20th Century. They had sleek lines with the most prominent feature being their flight decks. They were originally fitted with transom exhaust ports that provided more room for a larger flight deck and kept the flight deck clear of exhaust smoke. In practice, however, the exhaust system proved problematic. Their high pilot house gave the bridge crew unrestricted all-around visibility, making ship-handling easier. A number of other concerns figured into the design phase including maximum serviceability, improved habitability, long service life, and safety.

Two shafts capped by controllable pitch propellers drove these cutters to a top speed of 18 knots. Those shafts were powered by a number of different power plants. The Coast Guard actually designed two types of propulsion. Cutters 615-619 received a CODAG propulsion plant consisting of two Cooper-Bessemer Corporation FVBM-12 turbocharged diesel engines coupled with two Solar Aircraft Company gas turbines turbines, the first U.S. vessels to receive this unique propulsion system. The other cutters received only the diesels. The propulsion system could be remotely controlled from the pilothouse, either bridge wing, or the engine room control booth.

Crew comfort and convenience were also a priority. The Coast Guard actually hired the interior design firm Raymond Loewy Associates of New York to design the cutters' interior arrangement, colors, materials, furniture and appointments. The interior spaces were paneled and all piping and cables were hidden behind removable panels. The entire interior of the cutter was air conditioned for crew comfort. Additionally, "color schemes have been designed to give varied and pleasing effect." The recreation rooms included television sets, tape recording and playback equipment, AN/URR-44 radio receivers, and commercial AM/FM high fidelity radio receivers.

The 14 Reliance-class cutters do not have hangers but each can support one HH-65 or MH-68 helicopter. These cutters were also designed to incorporate additional armament in case of national emergency. This equipment originally would have consisted of: an additional 3-inch gun; a total of six .50 caliber machine guns with mounts; an SQS-17 sonar (later suggestions included using a SQS-36); one anti-submarine projector (Hedgehog); two torpedo launchers and two depth charge tracks. Space was included in the original design to incorporate the additional equipment although stability issues were a continual concern. No cutter, according to the historical documents, was actually ever fitted with this wartime armament.

Each cutter underwent a "Major Maintenance Availability process," or MMA, between 1986 and 1996 at a cost of between 19 and 21 million dollars per cutter. The Coast Guard Yard conducted the work on all but two cutters and Colonna's Shipyard, in Norfolk, Virginia, converted the remainder. The first five cutters traded in their unique powerplants and every cutter received the following modifications and upgrades: improved habitability, improved stability by rearranging tank locations, replacement of all asbestos paneling, increased the berthing space, upgraded the flight deck and helicopter equipment, increased the amount of helicopter fuel carried, improved the evaporator, increased and upgraded the communications and electronics capacities, installed vertical exhaust stacks and associated ballast, and installed a smoke detection system and new fire-fighting equipment.

Durable was the first cutter in Coast Guard history to hold this name. Like all ships in the Reliance-Class of 210-foot medium endurance cutters, Durable was named for an aspirational trait meaning to be capable of withstanding wear or decay. Excessive maintenance requirements forced the decommissioning of two Reliance-class cutters in 2001: Courageous (WMEC 622) and Durable (WMEC 628). Due to the "increasing age of the deepwater fleet after 30 years of service, and due to mounting, costly maintenance requirements," the Durable was scheduled for decommissioning. The Coast Guard decommissioned the venerable cutter on 20 September 2001. In 2003 she was transferred to the government of Columbia.

It had been more than 30 years since a Colombian warship had sailed into the Chesapeake Bay. When the Colombian ship ARC Valle del Cauca (Cutter 44) came to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in early October 2003, it was for three things: training, training and more training. Helping conduct training aboard the Colombian ship were Navy and Coast Guard personnel attached to the Afloat Training Group Atlantic (ATGLant) based at Naval Station Norfolk. The training group provides readiness and refresher training to numerous Navy and Coast Guard ships on the East Coast.