USCGC Hamilton ( WHEC - 715 ) USCGC " Hamilton " ( WHEC - 715 ) was a US Coast Guard high endurance cutter and the lead ship of its class . " Hamilton " was based in Boston MA from commissioning until 1991 and then out of San Diego , California . Launched December 18 , 1965 at Avondale Shipyard s near New Orleans , Louisiana and named for Alexander Hamilton the first United States Secretary of the Treasury and founder of the United States Revenue Cutter Service . She was commissioned March 18 , 1967 . USCGC Hamilton was decommissioned on March 28 , 2011 and transferred to the Philippine Navy as an excess defense article under the Foreign Assistance Act on May 13 , 2011 as BRP " Gregorio del Pilar " ( PF - 15 ) . Design . The Coast Guard designed a high level of habitability into " Hamilton " . Living compartments and areas provide fairly comfortable accommodations , including air conditioning , for the 173 men and women who serve on board . Propulsion . " Hamilton " was the first U . S . military vessel to employ the now common shipboard application of aircraft gas turbine jet engines with the use of controllable pitch propellers . " Hamilton " s two Pratt & Whitney gas turbines can propel " Hamilton " at speeds up to . " Hamilton " also has two Fairbanks - Morse diesel engines , capable of driving the ship economically at for up to without refueling . A retractable / rotatable bow propulsion unit provides exceptional maneuverability in tight situations . Flight Support . " Hamilton " s flight deck and hangar , capable of handling both Coast Guard and Navy helicopters extends the vessel ’ s rescue and maritime law enforcement operations . Renovation . In 1988 , " Hamilton " completed a three - year fleet renovation and modernization that provided the ship with modern weapons and electronics systems . All spaces and machinery were also completely overhauled and refurbished . The new technology enables " Hamilton " to operate seamlessly with the United States Navy . Missions . " Hamilton " has served a variety of missions with distinction . During a 1969 - 70 deployment to Vietnam , " Hamilton " interdicted weapons smugglers and fired more than 4 , 600 rounds of gunfire in support of U . S . and Vietnamese troops ashore . From 1965 - 1975 , " Hamilton " served on Atlantic Ocean Stations , collecting valuable oceanographic data and conducting frequent search and rescue missions . " Hamilton " also directed the interdictions of over 21 , 000 Haiti an migrants throughout the Caribbean during Operation Able Manner . In 1994 , " Hamilton " received the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for rescuing 135 Haitians from the sea after their sailboat capsized and sank . In 1996 , " Hamilton " transited the Panama Canal and served as the command and control platform for Operation Frontier Shield , a multi - agency effort to curtail the influx of narcotics into the United States . " Hamilton " intercepted 14 drug - laden vessels carrying more than 115 tons of contraband worth 200 million dollars . In 1999 , " Hamilton " seized over 2 , 700 kilograms of cocaine bound for the U . S . in the Eastern Pacific Ocean . " Hamilton " frequently patrols the Bering Sea off the Alaskan coast at the Maritime Boundary Line ( MBL ) which separates the Russian and the United States Exclusive Economic Zones ( EEZ ) . " Hamilton " s presence on the MBL deters foreign fishing vessels from fishing in the U . S . EEZ . In March 2007 , " Hamilton " assisted the in the largest recorded maritime drug bust in history . The two vessels intercepted the Panamanian - flagged fishing vessel " Gatun " in international waters and were able to recover 20 metric tons of cocaine , with an estimated street value of $ 600 million retail . The seizure was the largest drug bust in US history and the largest interdiction at sea . Additional . The U . S . Navy League Training Ship HAMILTON ( 114HAM ) is named after this ship . Matthew J . Gimple was the last Commanding Officer .