The Island-class vessels are a Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat.

It is unlikely that many Americans think very often about Tunisia, a North African that got swept up in the Arab Spring of 2011. Yet comparative obscurity notwithstanding, Tunisia is a close U.S. partner on southern coast of the Mediterranean. As Sabina Henneberg points out, “Washington considers Tunisia a valuable security partner on the African continent, where rising jihadist activity and weakening Western influence in the neighboring Sahel is of growing concern … Meanwhile, the Tunisian military values the training and equipment it receives from the United States and would suffer materially without it.” 

This was most recently proven true roughly two weeks ago in a commissioning ceremony for two Tunisian naval vessels that were gifted by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Why Tunisia Is Sailing U.S. Coast Guard Island-class Vessels

The news of this incident comes to us via an article published on April 21, 2025, titled “Tunisia Commissions Two U.S.-Donated Island-Class Patrol Boats to Boost Mediterranean Security.” To wit:

“On April 17, 2025, the Tunisian Navy held a commissioning ceremony for two 110-foot (34-meter) American Island-class patrol boats at the naval base in La Goulette, near Tunis. These vessels were recently transferred from the United States as part of a broader U.S. commitment to support Tunisia’s maritime security and regional stability. The ceremony took place during a port visit by the USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), the flagship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, symbolizing the strong and long-standing maritime cooperation between the two countries.”

The ships will be renamed Tazarka (P305) and Menzel Bourguiba (P306). Among the people attending the ceremony were the Tunisian minister of national defense, Imed Memmich; U.S. ambassador to Tunisia Joey R. Hood; and the commander of the United States 6th Fleet, Vice Admiral Jeffrey T. Anderson.

There was also some symbolic significance behind the date for the ceremony, as it marked the anniversary of the 1805 Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War, wherein a tandem of U.S. Marines and Tunisian troops scored a decisive victory over the Barbary pirates. (This was also the battle that inspired the “shores of Tripoli” line from The Marines Hymn.)

Island-Class Patrol Boats History and Specifications

According to Military.com, the Island-class vessels are a Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat” that “replaced the older 95-foot Cape-class patrol boats.” A total of forty-nine have been built, and they are all indeed named for U.S. islands. The lead ship of the class was USCGC Farallon (WPB-1301), commissioned in February 1986 and decommissioned in 2016; the newest addition to the batch was USCGC Galveston Island (WPB-1349), commissioned in 1992 and decommissioned and scrapped in 2018.

Here are the additional tech specs and vital stats of the Island-class boats:

• Manufacturer: Bollinger Shipyards (headquartered in Lockport, Louisiana)
• Propulsion: A and B series, two Paxman Valenta 16RP 200M diesel engines; C series, two Caterpillar 3516 DITA diesel engines
• Speed: 29 knots
• Range: 3,900 miles
• Armament: Mk-38 25mm Bushmaster cannon, two Browning M2 “Ma Deuce” .50 caliber machine guns
• Crew: Two commissioned officers, fourteen enlisted

The Island-class Boats Will Aid Tunisia

This will indeed be a major proverbial shot in the arm to the Tunisian National Navy’s ability to respond to both traditional and asymmetric threats (the importance of which cannot be overstated, given the country’s strategic location). According to the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), “It is difficult to accurately assess the size of the Tunisian National Navy, but best estimates place the total number of vessels operated by Tunisia at 40 gunboats or patrol boats, one landing craft, and six other non-combat vessels.”

In August 2015, Tunisia commissioned its first locally built patrol boat, Al Istiklal (Independence), thus making Tunisia the first country in the Arab world to develop a shipbuilding industry of its own and only the second anywhere in Africa (besides South Africa at the geographical opposite extreme end of the continent).

About the Author: Christian D. Orr

Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.

Image: Wikipedia.

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