USCGC Chase ( WHEC - 718 ) USCGC " Chase " ( WHEC - 718 ) was a Hamilton class High Endurance Cutter of the United States Coast Guard . She was laid down on October 26 , 1966 at Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans , launched on May 20 , 1967 and commissioned on March 11 , 1968 . " Chase " is the fourth of twelve Hamilton Class , cutters , and the third cutter named in honor of Salmon Portland Chase . She was decommissioned on March 29 , 2011 and transferred to the Nigerian Navy as an excess defense article under the Foreign Assistance Act as NNS " Thunder " ( F90 ) . Design . " Chase " is designed as a high endurance cutter . Her crossing range of at , and flight deck , capable of handling both Coast Guard and Navy helicopter s , make the " Chase " an ideal platform for extended patrol missions . Her missions include enforcement of all U . S . maritime laws and treaties , fisheries conservation , marine pollution response , defense readiness , and search and rescue . " Chase " was one of the first naval vessels built with a combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion plant . " Chase ’ s " engineering plant includes two diesel engines , and two gas turbines , which can achieve a top speed of . Two diameter controllable pitch propellers , combined with a retractable and rotatable bow propulsion unit , give " Chase " high maneuverability . " Chase ’ s " capabilities are enhanced by advanced air search and surface search radar s including the AN / SPS - 73 digital surface radar system that incorporates a state of the art computerized collision avoidance system . " Chase " uses the Shipboard Command and Control System ( SCCS ) which uses a network of computers including large screen displays and a dedicated satellite network for communications . A closed circuit TV system will enable the Commanding Officer to monitor flight deck operations , machinery conditions , towing , damage control , and related activities from the bridge . Vietnam and the 1970s . After being commissioned in 1968 , " Chase " participated in Operation Market Time . From December 1969 to May 1970 , under Commander , Task Force 115 , " Chase " participated in more than twelve gunfire support missions in the Vietnam War . For her service , " Chase " was awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation and Vietnam Service Medal . " Chase " visited the ports of Subic Bay , Hong Kong , Bangkok , and Kao - Hsiung ( Taiwan ) on this patrol . In June 1970 , " Chase " returned to her homeport in Boston , Massachusetts transiting the Panama Canal . Between September 1970 and December 1972 , " Chase " assumed Ocean Station duties at various times on the Charlie , Delta and Echo stations . During this period " Chase " visited ports such as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Cuba and Kingston , Jamaica . In 1972 " Chase " transited the Arctic Circle , and visited England , Denmark , Norway , and Portugal . In 1973 , as part of a Destroyer - Cruiser Flotilla , " Chase " participated in Operation Seaconex ( COMCRUDESFLOT TWO ) . On this operation , " Chase " transited the Straits of Gibraltar , and visited Portugal and Morocco . Between the years of 1970 and 1974 , " Chase " conducted three or four Search and Rescue cases daily while on various Ocean Station duties . Between 1974 and 1978 , " Chase " continued to patrol the waters of the Atlantic . " Chase " visited Italy , Spain , Ireland , and France . In 1980 , " Chase " was back in the U . S . , on scene at the America ’ s Cup in Newport , Rhode Island . In 1982 , " Chase " participated in " Safe Pass 1982 , " a member of the Fleet Composite Operational Readiness Group 1980s . 1981 " Chase " participated in the Mariel Boatlift , rescuing Cuban civilians in district 7 ; all crew received humanitarian medals . From October 1983 to July 1984 , " Chase " served in Operation Urgent Fury , the U . S . invasion of Grenada . For her service " Chase " received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal . Until March 1988 " Chase " continued to display her versatility in performing all Coast Guard missions . " Chase " repatriated more than 338 migrants during its Haitian Migration Interdiction Oerations ( HMIO ) between the January 1985 and March 1988 and also conducted many drug interdiction operations . An engine room fire on May 8 , 1985 , killed one crewman and disabled the cutter as it was traveling 70 miles southeast of Cape Cod . MK3 ( 3d class machinist technician ) Nicholas V . Berei , 22 , of Philadelphia was killed . A Coast Guard helicopter removed the crewman ' s body to a Cape Cod funeral home , and the cutter " Chilula " ( WMEC 153 ) was sent to tow the disabled cutter to Boston . In 1989 , " Chase " was temporarily decommissioned and entered Bath Ironworks Shipyard in Portland , Maine , to undergo the Fleet Renovation and Modernization ( FRAM ) program . At Bath , " Chase " was virtually torn apart and reassembled with substantial improvements to many of her systems . Approximately seventy five percent of the shipboard electronics were changed or modified ; a third of the existing engineering systems were overhauled or replaced ; and major internal space reconfigurations improved the crew ’ s living conditions . 1990s . On March 22 , 1991 , " Chase " returned after completing FRAM , and was recommissioned . After 23 years of service in Boston , Massachusetts , the Mayor of Boston proclaimed October 14 , 1991 , as " " Chase " Appreciation Day . " " Chase " was to depart for her new homeport of San Pedro , California . " Chase " arrived at her new homeport of San Pedro , California on November 15 , 1991 . Within a year , " Chase " continued to lead the Coast Guard and represent the U . S . On September 22 , 1992 , " Chase " visited Vladivostok , Russia , serving as the host for the historic reopening of the American Consulate . In 1994 , " Chase " led U . S . Forces into Port - au - Prince Harbor , Haiti and established the first Harbor Defense Command in foreign territorial waters . During this period , " Chase " participated in Operation Able Manner / Vigil in Haiti . " Chase " interdicted 130 Cuban asylum seekers . In 1995 , " Chase " boarded the M / V " Xin Ji Li Hou " off the coast of Baja California , Mexico , and interdicted 150 Chinese migrants . Between April to June 1997 , " Chase " was leading the way again by being the first Coast Guard cutter to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training ( CARAT 97 ) held in Southeast Asia . " Chase " worked with the Royal Thai Navy and visited Singapore , Songklha and Pattaya , Thailand . " Chase " received the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation from Vice Admiral Card for the boarding and custody exchange of the high seas driftnet vessel CAO YU . In 1998 , " Chase " departed with the , , and the for Military Interdiction Operations ( MIO ) in the Persian Gulf . During this patrol , the " Chase " diverted four vessels in violation of United Nations Sanctions against Iraq , interdicted 1 , 527 , 740 gallons of fuel - oil , and conducted eighty - six gunnery exercises . In 1999 , " Chase " seized seven metric tons of cocaine , then the second largest cocaine bust in Coast Guard history . Also on this patrol , " Chase " was also the first U . S . military ship to pull into Corinto , Nicaragua , in over thirty years . In August 1999 , " Chase " arrived at its new homeport in San Diego , California . There , " Chase " earned an overall EXCELLENT during its Tailored Ship ’ s Training Availability , and was awarded the Distinguished Coast Guard Battle “ E ” Ribbon . Nigerian service . In 2011 , " Chase " was decommissioned and donated to the Nigerian Navy , which commissioned her as a frigate , NNS " Thunder " . " Thunder " was commissioned into Nigerian service on January 23 , 2011 . In March 2012 , " Thunder " collided with a vessel owned by Total S . A . on the Bonny River .