68ft Patrol Boat Mark IV - A Mini Cyclone

[R_nminbiY_n]

Would you like to see this in-game?

• Yes
• No

68ft Patrol Boat Mark IV

TL;DR:
Coastal vessel, asymmetrical patrol boat with the Cyclone’s armament.

Overview:
A development of the Patrol Boat Mk.III, the Mark IV patrol boats were ordered in 1984 for the Panama Canal defence service. They were slightly enlarged compared to the preceding Mk.III, being 3 feet longer in order to fit more powerful diesel engines to provide the necessary power for the weaponry. They were the first new boats to be equipped with the now standard US Navy light weapon, the 25mm Bushmaster chain gun, which would also arm the later Cyclone-class and Mark VI Patrol Boat. Service showed that earlier trials and concerns where the Bushmaster would corrode when exposed to saltwater were largely unfounded. They were painted dark grey which makes them easy to distinguish from the Mk.III boats in photos.

Only 3 Mark IVs were built, numbered 68PB841, 68PB842, and 68PB843. They were completed in 1985 and joined Special Boat Unit 26 at Naval Station Rodman in Panama. They participated in training exercises and patrols, and after the closure of Naval Station Rodman in 1999 disarmed and transferred to the Panama Defence Forces. One, Bocas del Toro, still remains in service.

Ship List:
68PB841
68PB842
68PB843

Specifications:

Armament:
2x1 40mm Mk.19 AGL
2x1 25mm Mk.38
1x1 Mk.2 mortar combined with 1x1 12.7mm M2

Displacement:
46 tons full

Length: 20.7m

Beam: 5.5m

Draft: 1.2m

Propulsion: 3 GM 12V-71T1 diesel engines, 1950 hp, driving 3 shafts

Speed: 26.7 knots (49.4 km/h)

Range: unknown

Crew: 7

Systems:
Furuno 1411 navigation radar

​Images:

All 3 Mk.IVs and a Mk.III

Interesting end-of-life camo scheme

bruh watermark

In Panamanian service, would be cool unlockable camo if ever added.
Drawings:

Sources:
Friedman, N. (1987). Post-Vietnam Small Combatants. In U.S. Small Combatants: Including PT-Boats, Subchasers, and the Brown-Water Navy: An Illustrated Design History (pp. 408–411). Naval Institute Press.
Saunders, S., & Philpott, T. (2015). Panama. In Jane’s Fighting Ships 2015-2016 (p. 618). IHS.
https://www.warboats.org/mkiv.htm
https://www.warboats.org/SBU12.htm
https://www.warboats.org/SBU26.htm
https://www.navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_cf_pbiv.htm
Images:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/374814986144
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6445315
https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/gallery?shipName=Bocas+del+Toro+P843&page=1&viewType=normal&sortBy=newest

[JamesPond1200-psn]

The armament is really interesting! The 40mm grenade launchers would be quite good at close range. +1

[Nostalgistic]

+1. I can definitely see that this would make an excellent Rank IV addition to the US coastal fleet, ideally positioned in the third tech tree line between the Kim Qui and USS Cyclone.