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NavSource Online:
Motor Gunboat/Patrol Gunboat Photo Archive

Left Patch courtesy of Mike Molinski - Right patch courtesy of Tom Langford

Douglas (PG-100)

Tacoma Class Motor Gunboat:

  • Laid down by Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Tacoma, WA
  • Launched 19 June 1970
  • Commissioned USS Douglas (PG-100), 6 February 1971
  • Decommissioned 1 October 1977 at Little Creek, VA
  • Struck from the Navy Register 1 October 1977
  • Transferred to the David Taylor Naval Research and Development Center Annapolis, MD
  • Converted to a Research Vessel, renamed R/V Lauren and operated with the Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, U.S. Navy at Panama City Beach, FL
  • Sunk on a sandbank off the coast of North Carolina 30 April 2008 for use as a target for fighter pilots from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 250 t.
  • Length 165'
  • Beam 24'
  • Speed 40 kts.
  • Armament: One 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, two Harpoon missiles and two .50-cal machine guns
  • Propulsion: Two diesel engines, one gas turbine, two shafts with controllable pitch propellers.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Douglas (PG 100)
    Douglas 46k 19 June 1970
    The ships sponsor, Mrs. Willard F. Searles, Jr. (holding roses) and party. CAPT Searles is on the right
    Tacoma Boatbuilding Co. photo 33135    		 Tommy Trampp
    Douglas 437k 19 June 1970
    Before launch of the U.S. Navy patrol gunboat Douglas (PG-100) at the Tacoma Boatbuilding Company, Tacoma, Washington
    Naval History and Heritage Command photo USN 1148979 from the National Archives, Bureau of Ships collection    		 Robert Hurst
    Photo added 13 April 2022
    Douglas 183k After being launched at Tacoma Boatbuilding Co. on 19 June 1970
    Tacoma Public Library, Richard Studios photo D158443-7    		 Mike Green
    USS Douglas (PG 100)
    Douglas
    121110012    		 107k Douglas (PG 100) underway, date and location unknown. Dave Wright
    Douglas 142k U.S. Navy photo Tom Langford
    Douglas 82k Tommy Trampp
    Douglas 302k Shown fitted to fire the Standard Arm antiship missile as an emergency measure until Harpoon was ready. Each box aft consisted of two sections: a launcher holding one missile and a reload forward of it
    U.S. Navy photo from U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman    		 Robert Hurst
    Douglas 334k c. October 1973
    Venice, Italy
    Moored alongside an unidentified PG and astern of Graham County (AGP 1176), ex-LST-1176    		 William Hooper
    Douglas 96k U.S. Navy photo from the March 1975 edition of All Hands magazine Joe Radigan
    Grand Rapids 304k 2 June 1976
    Naples, Italy
    Douglas with Grand Rapids (PG 98) in the foreground    		 © Richard Leonhardt
    PG-86/87/98/100 68k 6 December 1976
    Barcelona, Spain.
    Ready (PG 87) in foreground, inboard with Grand Rapids (PG 98) outboard. Background inboard is Douglas with Antelope (PG 86) inboard. Antelope and Ready are fitted with
    Mk-87 fire control systems, with antenna inside domes, whereas Grand Rapids and Douglas have a Mk-63 fire control system, with an SPG-50 radar antenna on the gun mounts    		 Fabio Peņa
    PG-86/87/98/100 48k
    Douglas 366k 10 December 1976
    Genoa, Italy    		 Carlo Martinelli
    Antelope 143k Decommissioning program Tom Langford
    R/V Lauren
    Douglas 85k The research vessel Lauren explodes as Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point's explosive ordnance disposal team detonates explosives onboard April 30 set to sink the ship. Formerly the patrol gunboat Douglas, the ship will be used to provide targets for an aerial gunnery range on base.
    Photo by Lance Corporal Amy S. Shaver, USMC    		 Lee Wahler
    Commanding Officers
    01LT Robert James O'Brien, USN6 February 1971 - 26 May 1972
    02LT Lawrence Charles Dearth, USN26 May 1972 - 5 June 1973
    03LT Larry Mack Copeland, USN - USNA Class of 19665 June 1973 - 1 July 1975
    04LT Thomas Gordon Russell, USN1 July 1975 - 1 October 1977
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    There is no DANFS history available for Douglas (PG-100)
    Back To The Main Photo Index Back to the Patrol Craft/Gunboat/Submarine Chaser Index Back to the Patrol Gunboat (PG) Photo Index
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    This page created by Gary P. Priolo and maintained by Dave Wright
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 26 September 2023