30WB1201

George Schneider (Email to Nauticapedia 07/12/2021) stated "This was one of the Navy's new push boats. After trying to use existing boats to handle the security booms they began deploying around bases after 9/11, they tried using variations of the tiny "Log Broncs" used to corral floating logs at logging terminals.

They were so successful that the Navy began looking at twin-screw designs, and eventually began replacing their tired LCM conversions with these smaller new boats, quite a change from the trend where every new design had to be bigger than the previous edition. This one is a 30-footer, every bit as capable as the 50 or 56-foot Mike Boat conversions, except maybe without the leverage of the earlier boat's length. This vessel shows the name PORT OPS WORK BOAT 1, and her official NavSea boat number is 30WB1201. This vessel was built under a 2012 contract, and her builder shows as MM, which might be MetalCraft or Modutec. Things sure were simpler when the Navy built only to standard NavSea designs, but this new system certainly allows for benefitting from the innovation achieved among private sector customers."