A Coast Guard veteran of World War II is to be buried at sea. Unfortunately, maintaining museum ships is an expensive business, and there is not enough to maintain both Ingham and Mohawk.
“Miami-Dade Historic Maritime Museum Inc., has agreed to donate the 165-foot World War II Coast Guard cutter Mohawk to Lee County to be scuttled as an artificial reef. Lee County has also been awarded a $1.5 million grant from West Coast Inland Navigation District to pay for towing the vessel from Key West, cleaning and sinking it. The preferred destination for Mohawk is the ARC Reef site in 60 feet of water.”
Hard to believe men went to war in the slow, tubby little cutter, that made the Corvettes of Monsarrat’s The Cruel Sea, look big by comparison, but she did her part: MOHAWK (1935); WPG-78 (pdf)
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Our tubby little cutter (Comanche WMEC-202) is 22 feet shorter than Mohawk. Yet she too went to war and served in the Pacific Theater. People living or visiting in the Seattle area are welcome to visit Comanche.
http://hnsa.org/ships/comanche.htm
Also, we can attest to how expensive these ships are to maintain – especially keeping them operational like Comanche. Donations are always welcome.
Bill Powell, Comanche volunteer.
Bill, thanks for keeping her going.
I toured this ship earlier this year, it was really sad to see how bad a shape it was in. There seems to be a number of CG museum ships that are closing in on the same fate. I hope they focus efforts and save the Ingham, its a great museum!
Love these museum ships and it’s sad to see one go. Hopefully more funding can be allocated towards this worthwhile preservation work.
I am always sad to see history sent to the bottom of the ocean but I also realize how hard it is to save any piece of history. I work in public history and at a popular tourist site. If it was not for our donors we would be no where the challenge is attracting these folks to your mission.
The Comanche was one of the choices on my “dream sheet” at the end of boot camp in Alameda (Alpha-118, BM1 Tamaro, April 1978). I was intrigued by the idea of serving aboard a hard-working vessel like an oceangoing tug, and the thought of being stationed in Eureka was appealing as well.
After thinking about it overnight, I instead listed the Morgenthau (WHEC-722) as my #1 choice, and that was where I ended up, reporting aboard in Anchorage. In retrospect it was a much better selection, since I got to see Alaska and experience serving on a “big white one.”
Years later, driving along Hwy. 160 on the levee across the river from Rio Vista, I caught a glimpse through the trees of a large tug in Coast Guard colors. I didn’t remember the Comanche’s hull number, not having thought about her in years, but figured that had to be her based on a vaguely-remembered photograph or two. (Plus, I didn’t remember ever hearing about another Coast Guard oceangoing tug on the West Coast.) It wasn’t until I read this blog entry that I learned the vessel I glimpsed was, in fact, the Comanche.
What I’m still curious about is who bought her when she became surplus and then moored her in the Sacramento River, and what use the owner had in mind for her. Was she bought as a liveaboard, or maybe with some never-fulfilled commercial purpose in mind? If anyone has any details of that, I’d really be interested in reading them.
Navy Times reports her sinking:
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/07/ap-ww2-ship-sunk-off-florida-for-reef-070312/
In 1968, Comanche broke down while on Campeche Patrol (no hard working tug then). As we crossed the “T,” I fired a perfect shot across here starboard bridge wing. Of course, those on that wing thought it a little low and made collective duck. They then popped up again.
I worked hard to learn how to make people duck when I fired the SLTG. The Navy at GITMO was the most fun.
Comanche was reported to have been a primary supporter of the two sisters running the Mullet Bar.
News report here along with video of the sinking.
http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-07-02/First-divers-explore-new-USS-Mohawk-artificial-reef
c1944 xUSN ATA 202 aka xUSCGC COMANCHE WMEC 202 is historic non-profit museum ship, opperational and still cruises around the Puget Sound with an all volunteer crew.