USCGC Point Cypress ( WPB - 82326 ) USCGC " Point Cypress " ( WPB - 82326 ) 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 - 82326 " when commissioned and acquired the name " Point Cypress " in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than . Construction and design details . " Point Cypress " 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 Cypress " 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 Cypress " was assigned a homeport of Boston , Massachusetts , where she served as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat . At the request of the United States Navy , in October 1965 , she was alerted for service in Vietnam and assigned to Coast Guard Squadron One in support of Operation Market Time along with 8 other Point class cutters . While the crew completed overseas training and weapons qualifications at Coast Guard Island and Camp Parks , California , " Point Cypress " was loaded on board merchant ship SS " Pioneer Myth " and transported to Subic Bay , Philippines arriving in January 1966 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 Cypress " was assigned to Division 13 of Squadron One to be based at Cat Lo Navy Base near Vung Tau , along with , , , , , , and . After sea trials , the Division left Subic Bay for Cat Lo on 19 February 1966 in the company of , their temporary support ship . They arrived at their new duty station on 23 February and began patrolling the coastal waters near the Rung Sat Special Zone . Duty consisted of boarding Vietnamese junks to search for contraband weapons and ammunition and check the identification papers of persons on board . On 10 May 1966 while on patrol , Division 11 cutter interdicted a 120 foot steel hull trawler that beached near the Ca Mau Peninsula under covering fire from Viet Cong hiding in the tree line . With the assistance of and , the Viet Cong were prevented from boarding the trawler to retrieve the arms and supplies it carried . Authorization was received to destroy the trawler and " Point Cypress " assisted " Point Grey " ; both cutters using their mortars to set the trawler on fire . Later the whole area was shaken with a tremendous explosion as the trawler ' s ammunition supplies exploded . This incident marked the first time a " Market Time " unit had interdicted a suspicious trawler . " Point Cypress " helped with the rescue Philippine tug " Alyee " which was threatened by high seas while pulling four barges from Saigon to Cam Ranh Bay on 16 December 1967 . On 5 December 1968 , Fireman Heriberto S . " Ed " Hernandez , a crewman of " Point Cypress " , was killed in action during small boat operations near the Ca Mau Peninsula . He was one of seven Coast Guardsmen killed in action during the Vietnam War . After 14 July 1970 , " Point Cypress " and were the last two cutters left in Squadron One , the other 24 having been previously transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy under the United States government ' s Vietnamization policy . On 19 July 1970 " Point Cypress " along with " Point Marone " were pulled off " Market Time " duties and sent to the Thanh Phu Secret Zone to land Kit Carson Scouts for a search and destroy mission . The two cutters used their mortars and machine guns to back up the assault which resulted in the capture of Viet Cong troops and boxes of enemy documents . A week later the same tactics were used with success by landing an Australian explosive ordnance detachment on the My Thanh River . The last patrol of " Point Cypress " was conducted on 4 August with " Point Marone " in a narrow canal flowing into the Cổ Chiên River with 25 Kit Carson Scouts aboard each cutter and a mostly South Vietnamese Navy crew . After both cutters had turned around in the narrow canal , " Point Marone " was damaged by a command detonated mine causing three deaths among the Vietnamese crew and Scouts and several injuries . " Point Cypress " provided suppression fire with machine guns and her mortar and the " Point Marone " managed to clear the ambush scene . Eleven days later , on 15 August 1970 the patched and painted " Point Marone " and the " Point Cypress " were turned over to the Republic of Vietnam Navy with " Point Cypress " recommissioned as RVNS " Hồ Duy " ( HQ - 724 ) .