Cyclone - class patrol ship The " Cyclone " - class patrol ships are a class of United States Navy coastal patrol boat s . Most of these ships were launched between 1992 and 1994 . The primary mission of these ships is coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance , an important aspect of littoral operations outlined in the Navy ' s strategy , " Forward . . . From the Sea . " These ships also provide full mission support for U . S . Navy SEALs and other special operations forces . The Cyclone class ships are assigned to Naval Special Warfare . Of the thirteen ships , nine originally operated out of the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek , Norfolk , Virginia , and four originally operated from the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado . These ships provide the Naval Special Warfare Command with a fast , reliable platform that can respond to emergent requirements in a low intensity conflict environment . Three hulls were decommissioned and loaned to the United States Coast Guard to be returned to the Navy in 2011 , and one was transferred to the Philippine Navy . " Shamal " , " Tornado " and " Zephyr " were returned to the U . S . Navy in 2011 and placed back in commission . The hulls on loan to the US Coast Guard are used in a variety of roles , including search and rescue , interception , boarding , and inspection of foreign freighters arriving at US ports . In September 2010 , the decision was made to recall all of the remaining ships of the class due to fatigue damage to their hulls . The class was designed for a lifespan of roughly 15 years . All but the newest member of the class , " Tornado " , have been in service longer . The vessels will be inspected and a decision will be made whether to refit them or to decommission the ships . As of 2013 , eight of the US Navy ' s thirteen Cyclone - class patrol ships were deployed to the Persian Gulf to deal with a potential conflict with Iran . With two additional ships scheduled to shift to the Persian Gulf in 2014 , the remaining three ships of the class are slated to be transferred to Naval Station Mayport in Florida to work primarily with drug interdiction work with U . S . Naval Forces Southern Command ( USNAVSO ) / U . S . Fourth Fleet . Development and design . In the 1980s , the US Navy developed a requirement for a replacement for the PB Mk III small ( 65 ft ) Vietnam War - era patrol boats used to transport SEAL teams . The first attempt to replace the PB Mk IIIs led to an order being placed in 1984 for a stealthy surface effect ship , the Special Warfare Craft , Medium , or SWCM , with a length of about and a displacement of . The SWCM , nicknamed " Sea Viking " , was a failure , however , and construction of the prototype was abandoned in 1987 . After the failure of the innovative SWCM , it was decided to replace the PB Mk IIIs with a simple development of an existing design rather than wait for an entirely new design to be produced and developed . Bollinger Shipyards proposed a development of the Vosper Thornycroft Province - class fast patrol boat built for Oman and Kenya , and this was selected by the US Navy . At , the new design , at first designated PBC ( Patrol Boat Coastal ) , and later PC , was much larger than the boats that they were to replace . It was planned to build 16 PBC to replace the 17 PB Mk IIIs , with first deliveries expected in 1991 . The program was stopped at 14 boats , however , as it was realised that the PC was too large for the SEAL delivery role . Ships . and , will deploy to Bahrain in mid - 2014 , and the ships currently stationed in the U . S . at Little Creek , , , and , will eventually shift homeport from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek ( Virginia ) , to Naval Station Mayport ( Florida ) . Users . Current Former See also . In the future these ships will be replaced with Littoral combat ship s of ten times their displacement .