USCGC Point Garnet ( WPB - 82310 ) USCGC " Point Garnet " ( WPB - 82310 ) was an Point class cutter constructed at the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay , Maryland in 1961 for use as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat . Since the Coast Guard policy in 1961 was not to name cutters under in length , it was designated as " WPB - 82310 " when commissioned and acquired the name " Point Garnet " in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than . Construction and design details . " Point Garnet " was built to accommodate an 8 man crew . She was powered by two VT600 Cummins diesel main drive engines and had two five - bladed propellers . The main drive engines were later replaced by VT800 Cummins engines . Water tank capacity was and fuel tank capacity was at 95 % full . Engine exhaust was ported through the transom rather than through a conventional stack and this permitted a 360 degree view from the bridge ; a feature that was very useful in search and rescue work as well as a combat environment . The design specifications for " Point Garnet " included a steel hull for durability and an aluminum superstructure and longitudinally framed construction was used to save weight . Ease of operation with a small crew size was possible because of the non - manned main drive engine spaces . Controls and alarms located on the bridge allowed one man operation of the cutter thus eliminating a live engineer watch in the engine room . Because of design , four men could operate the cutter ; however , the need for resting watchstanders brought the crew size to eight men for normal domestic service . The screws were designed for ease of replacement and could be changed without removing the cutter from the water . A clutch - in idle speed of three knots helped to conserve fuel on lengthy patrols and an eighteen knot maximum speed could get the cutter on scene quickly . Air - conditioned interior spaces were a part of the original design for the Point class cutter . Interior access to the deckhouse was through a watertight door on the starboard side aft of the deckhouse . The deckhouse contained the cabin for the officer - in - charge and the executive petty officer . The deckhouse also included a small arms locker , scuttlebutt , a small desk and head . Access to the lower deck and engine room was down a ladder . At the bottom of the ladder was the galley , mess and recreation deck . A watertight door at the front of the mess bulkhead led to the main crew quarters which was ten feet long and included six bunks that could be stowed , three bunks on each side . Forward of the bunks was the crew ' s head complete with a compact sink , shower and commode . Accommodations for a 13 man crew were installed for Vietnam service . History . After delivery in 1961 , " Point Garnet " was assigned a homeport of Norfolk , Virginia , where she served as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat . At the request of the United States Navy , in April 1965 , she was alerted for service in Vietnam and assigned to Coast Guard Squadron One in support of Operation Market Time along with 16 other Point class cutters . While the crew completed overseas training and weapons qualifications at Coast Guard Island and Camp Parks , California , " Point Garnet " was loaded onto a merchant ship , and transported to Subic Bay , Philippines arriving in May 1965 where she was refit for combat service . Shipyard modifications included installation of new single - sideband radio equipment , additional floodlights , small arms lockers , bunks , additional sound - powered phone circuits , and the addition of 4 M - 2 machine guns . The original Oerlikon 20 mm cannon was replaced with a combination over - under 50 caliber machine gun / 81mm trigger fired mortar that had been developed by the Coast Guard for service in Vietnam . For service in Vietnam , two officers were added to the crew complement to add seniority to the crew in the mission of interdicting vessels at sea . " Point Garnet " was assigned to Division 11 of Squadron One to be based at An Thoi , a small fishing village on the southern tip of Phú Quốc Island along with , , , , , , and . After sea trials , the Division left Subic Bay for Phu Quoc on 17 July 1965 in the company of , their temporary support ship . After almost two weeks at sea , they arrived at their new duty station on 1 August and began patrolling the waters in the Gulf of Thailand near the Cà Mau Peninsula . Duty consisted of boarding Vietnamese junks to search for contraband weapons and ammunition and check the identification papers of persons on board . During September 1965 , , a repair ship outfitted for the repair of WPB ' s relieved the USS " Floyd County " . Also during this time , the WPB ' s were directed to paint the hulls and superstructures formula 20 deck gray to cover the stateside white paint . This increased the effectiveness of night patrols . On 16 May 1969 at Saigon Navy Base , " Point Garnet " was the second Squadron One cutter that was turned over to the South Vietnamese Navy as part of the Vietnamization of the war effort and she was recommissioned as RVNS " Lê Văn Ngà " ( HQ - 701 ) .