USCGC Point Countess (WPB-82335) was an 82 foot Point-class cutter constructed at the Coast Guard Yard

United States Coast Guard Yard

The United States Coast Guard Yard or just Coast Guard Yard is a United States Coast Guard operated shipyard located on Curtis Bay in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore city limits. It is the coast guard's sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, and part of the...

 at Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1962 for use as a law enforcement and search and rescue patrol boat. Since the Coast Guard policy in 1962 was not to name cutters

United States Coast Guard Cutter

Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...

 under 100 feet (30.5 m) in length, it was designated as WPB-82335 when commissioned and acquired the name Point Countess in January 1964 when the Coast Guard started naming all cutters longer than 65 feet (19.8 m).

Construction details

Point Countess was built with a mild steel hull and an aluminum superstructure that could accommodate an 8 man crew. She was powered by two 800 horsepower VT800 Cummins diesel main drive engines and had two five bladed 42 inch propellers. Longitudinally framed construction was used to save weight. Water tank capacity was 1550 gal and fuel tank capacity was 1840 gal at 95% full. Frozen food storage was 23 ft3.

History

Point countess was stationed at Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...

 from 1962 to 1965. In 1966 and 1967, she was stationed at Everett, Washington

Everett, Washington

Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...

. Point Countess was painted gray in 1967 and readied for action in Vietnam in support of Operation Market Time

Operation Market Time

Operation Market Time was the United States Navy’s effort to stop troops and supplies from flowing by sea from North Vietnam to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War...

. At the last minute she was ordered to relieve the at Port Angeles, Washington

Port Angeles, Washington

Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...

. She was stationed at Port Angeles from 1968 to 1988.

On 8 July 1968, she towed a disabled pleasure craft to Everett. On 1 October 1968, she towed the disabled FV Beatrice 30 miles west of Port Angeles to that port. On 21 February 1969, she towed the disabled pleasure craft Betty J II from 25 miles west of Port Angeles to that port. On 18 January 1986, she helped seize MV Eagle 1 entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Strait of Juan de Fuca

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...

 carrying 447 lbs of cocaine

Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

, the largest cocaine seizure by the Coast Guard to that date.

From 1988 until her decommissioning in 2000, she was stationed at Nokomis, Florida

Nokomis, Florida

Nokomis is a census-designated place in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,334 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area....

. Here she continued in her law enforcement and search and rescue duties successfully. In late 1988, she seized pleasure craft Premolo in the Yucatán Channel carrying 800 lbs of cocaine in a concealed compartment. Additionally, she seized 8.5 million dollars worth of cocaine from a sailing vessel entering Tampa Bay, 5 tons of cocaine from the Belizean-flagged vessel Inge Frank, and the prosecution of dozens of personal use narcotics cases each year. In addition, she interdicted over 35 wanted felons from 1997 through her decommissioning. Point Countess was decommissioned 25 May 2000 and transferred to the Republic of Georgia on 25 June 2000.

Republic of Georgia service

The Republic of Georgia renamed her Georgia Coast Guard Vessel Tsotne Dadiani (P210). During the 2008 South Ossetia war

2008 South Ossetia war

The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....

, Tsotne Dadiani sortied with other Coast Guard vessels from Poti

Poti

Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...

, prior to Russian forces arriving. The Tsotne Dadiani was in the southern port of Batumi

Batumi

Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...

until September 2008 when Russian forces withdrew and the Georgian Coast Guard Operations Directorate returned to its base in Poti.