While bumping along Gulfport’s inner harbor the other day, I came across this old girl in the sea smoke.
Photo by Chris Eger
If her lines look vaguely patrol-boatish, Sea Hope is a 108-foot former U.S. Navy Training Patrol Craft (YP) of the type used by the Naval Academy for giving the midshipmen some basic underway education.
They used to look pretty snazzy when new.
Spectators watch from a sea wall as seamanship training craft YP-678 passes in review on the Severn River during commissioning week activities at the US Naval Academy, 5/11/1987 Photo DNST8707228 by CWO4 Walter E. Hamler
Built by Marinette in 1987, the YP 676/696 class has been slowly sold off by the GSA in favor of newer 119-foot YP703 vessels. We covered one that was for sale on Craigslist back in 2014 for $30K.
Nice to see one still around.