USS Flagstaff ( PGH - 1 ) USS " Flagstaff " ( PGH - 1 ) was the only " Flagstaff " - class patrol gunboat ( hydrofoil ) and was acquired by the United States Navy because of her relatively low cost and very high speed . She was later loaned by the Navy to the U . S . Coast Guard , as USCGC " Flagstaff " ( WPBH - 1 ) . The Coast Guard ’ s interest in the craft was the craft ’ s speed and its ability to interdict smugglers and other suspicious craft approaching the U . S . coast . History of evaluation of high speed craft . In the mid - 1970s , the Coast Guard explored options to replace the aging cutters . There was also considerable interest in developing new " high - speed ways " to combat narcotics smuggling by sea , conduct search and rescue operations , fisheries enforcement , and marine environmental protection . The Coast Guard , of course , looked for the most inexpensive way to test new platforms and when the Navy offered the use of some of their hydrofoils at " virtually no cost " , the Coast Guard jumped on the opportunity . The Navy loaned the Coast Guard both USS " Flagstaff " ( PGH - 1 ) and for a short period of time beginning in late 1974 . " Flagstaff " was scheduled for evaluation first and " High Point " was scheduled for evaluation in early 1975 . While under Coast Guard ownership , " Flagstaff " was armed only with small arms . Service with the U . S . Navy in Vietnam . " Flagstaff " was developed by the Navy as an experimental vessel and was built by Grumman Aerospace Corporation of Bethpage , New York . She was delivered to the Navy in September 1968 . After an operational evaluation period , she was deployed to South Vietnam with . The two ships formed Coastal Squadron 3 , and were based in Cam Ranh Bay . She conducted patrol missions there until 1970 . " Flagstaff " and " Tucumcari " were too mechanically complex for the repair facilities in Vietnam , and as a result were ultimately withdrawn from combat . Upon her return to the U . S . in 1970 , she was assigned to the Amphibious Forces of the Pacific Fleet where she participated in numerous readiness trials and training exercises and was also used as a test - bed for various craft subsystems , such as the Navy ' s Advanced Hydrofoil Development Program . Evaluation of the craft by the U . S . Coast Guard . Both " Flagstaff " and " High Point " were scheduled for evaluation by the Coast Guard Hydrofoil Test and Evaluation Team , under guidance from the Coast Guard Research and Development Center , which was formed on 15 August 1974 and remained in existence until 6 May 1975 . The Coast Guard commissioned " Flagstaff " on 8 November 1974 after having her hull painted white and the Coast Guard hull - stripe added . Her first commanding officer was Lieutenant Douglas F . Gehring , USCG . She operated out of San Diego , California , and other Californian ports during the Coast Guard ' s evaluation . Search and rescue operation . During her evaluation , " Flagstaff " was involved in a number of search and rescue cases . She was dispatched from Long Beach , California , to investigate a report of a burning boat about away . In one hour , the ship was on scene and quickly located a family of three who had jumped into the water to escape the flash fire that had engulfed the cabin of their boat . " Flagstaff " s speed in arriving on scene was " a major factor in saving the lives of the three " . Problems encountered during test and evaluation . Ultimately , the evaluation demonstrated that she showed promise in both anti - smuggling operations and as a rapid response search and rescue vessel . But machinery breakdowns , a lack of spare parts for her Rolls Royce turbine , and a collision with a gray whale off the Point Loma Lighthouse that caused $ 250 , 000 in damage to her aft strut gearing assembly ( and killed the whale ) soured the Coast Guard ' s hopes for her use . It was continually noted in reports that her operation was more like that of an airplane than a ship , particularly her wiring systems which were similar to the wiring used in aircraft . Concerns about weight , habitability , fuel consumption , and overall costs were also prevalent . Her evaluation period ended on 18 February 1975 and she was returned to the Navy . Second assessment and evaluation by the Coast Guard . The Coast Guard once again acquired " Flagstaff " from the Navy on 29 September 1976 in San Diego , California , for further evaluation " in a fully operational environment " . She was transported to the U . S . East Coast for testing in the " adverse weather conditions " that prevailed in the waters off the New England in the hope of having her conduct actual operational missions . She was home - ported at Woods Hole , Massachusetts . The emphasis for this evaluation was to test her capabilities to enforce the new fisheries economic zone , in addition to the traditional Coast Guard missions . The testing period was initially set to last 12 months . In - commission special status . After arriving on the East Coast , she required numerous repairs to her aging machinery , which was done in Boston , Massachusetts . She was placed " In - Commission - Special " status as a Coast Guard cutter ( WPBH - 1 ) on 2 March 1977 after again receiving the Coast Guard livery . Her commanding officer was Lt . Terrance Hart , USCG . Two days later , she transited from Boston to Woods Hole . She was under the operational control of the First District and the plan was to have her operate as a " normal district resource . " It was thought that such use would permit comparison of her capabilities to the other District resources , i . e . HH - 52 As , HU - 16Es , and surface craft . USCGC " Flagstaff " was placed " In - Commission Active " status on 17 July 1977 . Disappointing test and evaluation results . Her use this time , however , was more problematic than the first testing period in 1974 . She continually suffered mechanical breakdowns , including problems with her turbine , and the lack of spare parts forced the Coast Guard to extend her period of evaluation from 12 months to 16 months . Her crew spent more of their time attempting to repair her rather than patrolling and one officer likened her operation to that of an aircraft , requiring frequent maintenance ; The difference being that an aircraft has a flight crew to operate the aircraft and a maintenance crew for its upkeep . The crew of " Flagstaff " , however , had to do both , and were " overwhelmed with the maintenance workload , " and their morale consequently suffered . From 26 May 1977 – 27 October 1977 , " Flagstaff " only managed 305 . 2 hours of operating time , including only 71 . 6 hours of foil - borne time . In March 1978 , she suffered a transmission failure and the nail in her coffin was the deterioration of her turbine . The only solution to the latter problem was to replace the turbine , and the cost of that was prohibitive . The Coast Guard decided to decommission her due to " the high cost of repairs and the fact that the CG feels sufficient information has been gained from the E . P . [ Evaluation Period ] . " During this period of inoperability , she was located at the Coast Guard ' s aids to navagation station in Bristol , Rhode Island . Decommissioned and returned to the Navy . She was decommissioned at Woods Hole on 30 September 1978 and returned to the Navy . The Coast Guard noted that : " sufficient information on the use of hydrofoils has been gathered from the evaluation program . " The escalating costs of repair , and the fact that she needed an engine replacement too , figured into the decision to return her to the Navy . She was scrapped in 1978 .