USCGC Point Welcome ( WPB - 82329 ) USCGC " Point Welcome " ( WPB - 82329 ) 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 1962 was not to name cutters under in length , she was designated as " WPB - 82329 " when commissioned and was named " Point Welcome " in January 1964 when the Coast Guard began naming all cutters longer than . She was notable for being the victim of an inter - service friendly fire incident during the Vietnam War . Construction and design details . " Point Welcome " 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 Welcome " 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 War service . History . After delivery in 1962 , " Point Welcome " was assigned a homeport of Everett , Washington , 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 South 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 Welcome " was loaded onto a merchant ship , and transported to Subic Bay , Philippines in May 1965 . She was refit for combat service . Shipyard modifications included installation of new single - sideband radio equipment , additional floodlights , small arms lockers , additional sound - powered phone circuits , and the addition of four M - 2 machine guns . The original bow - mounted machine gun 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 South Vietnam . For service in Vietnam , two commissioned officers were added to the crew to add seniority in the mission of interdicting vessels at sea . " Point Welcome " was assigned to Division 12 of Squadron One to be based at Danang , along with , , , , , and . After sea trials , the Division left Subic Bay for Danang on 16 July 1965 in the company of USN Snohomish County , their temporary support ship . After almost two weeks at sea , they arrived at their new duty station on 20 July and began patrolling the coastal waters near Danang . Duty consisted of boarding Vietnamese junks to search for contraband weapons and ammunition and checking the identification papers of persons on board . Permanent engineering and logistic support of Division 12 was provided by a U . S . Navy non - self - propelled floating workshop , YR - 71 . During this time , the WPB ' s were directed to paint the hulls and superstructures formula 20 deck gray to cover the Coast Guard ' s stateside white paint . This increased the effectiveness of night patrols . Friendly fire . " Point Welcome " was about three - quarters of a mile south of the 17th parallel , in the limits of the DMZ , when she was attacked in the pre - dawn hours of 11 August 1966 by three aircraft of the U . S . Air Force while on patrol in the waters near the mouth of the Cua Viet River . Her commanding officer , LTJG David Brostrom , along with one crewman , EN2 Jerry Phillips , were killed in this friendly fire incident . Brostrom and Phillips were two of seven Coast Guardsmen killed in action during the Vietnam War . All of the crew were hit by shrapnel except the ship ' s executive officer , LTJG Ross Bell , two other crewmen , GM2 Mark D . McKenney and FA Houston J . Davidson . A South Vietnamese liaison officer , LTJG Do Viet Vien , and civilian freelance journalist Timothy J . Page , were wounded more severely BMC Richard Patterson saved the cutter and the surviving crew at great risk to himself . He was awarded a Bronze Star with the combat " V " device for his actions that were described in his award citation : " Point Caution " came to the assistance of the " Point Welcome " and along with other units , rescued those in the water . Soon thereafter Patterson and those of his crew that were not seriously wounded returned to their cutter . They then sailed " Point Welcome " back to Danang under her own power . She was repaired after a three - month overhaul and returned to service . Investigations by the Military Assistance Command Vietnam ( MACV ) involving 37 witnesses were conducted from the 15th through the 23rd of August 1966 and concluded with a statement to the Commandant of the Coast Guard that : Tet 1968 action . On 29 February and 1 March 1968 , " Point Welcome " assisted in the destruction of an SL - class North Vietnam ese trawler near Cu Lao Re island , southeast of Danang . On the afternoon of 29 February 1968 the took the trawler under surveillance after it was first detected by a P - 2 Neptune aircraft south of the demilitarized zone . " Point Welcome " and , along with two U . S . Navy swift boats , waited close to shore as the trawler approached , with " Androscoggin " trailing . In the early morning of 1 March 1968 as the trawler closed to within seven miles ( 11 km ) of the coast , " Androscoggin " closed and challenged the trawler . After receiving no response , " Androscoggin " illuminated the target with star shells . The trawler , positively identified as a North Vietnamese SL - class vessel , opened fire on the cutter with recoilless rifle and machine gun fire . " Androscoggin " then opened fire with her battery , scoring one hit on the trawler ' s " after starboard side . " The trawler then headed for the beach . Two helicopters took the trawler under fire while the 82 - footers and swift boats closed . " Point Welcome " illuminated the target with illumination rounds fired from her 81 - mm mortar while " Point Grey " and the swift boats fired their . 50 caliber machine guns into the trawler . It grounded from the mouth of the Song Tha Cau river . " Point Welcome " then hit the target with two high explosive mortar rounds from her 81 - mm mortar . The trawler soon thereafter exploded , leaving little trace . The cutters were hit with debris but suffered no personnel casualties . Vietnamization . She was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy as RVNS " Nguyễn Hấn " ( HQ - 717 ) , 29 April 1970 .