Coast Guard Destroyers During Prohibition

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Coast Guard destroyers Circa 1924-1930. (L-R) USS Jouett (CG-13) ex DD-41, USS Paulding (CG-17) ex DD-22 and USS Beale (CG-9) ex DD-40. Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library. From Navsource.

Prohibition was enacted January 16, 1919 and repealed December 5, 1933.

I had known the Coast Guard had borrowed US Navy destroyers to help enforce Prohibition, but I had not realized how many. From the summer 1924 to mid-1933 the service used 31 different destroyers, from six different classes, and three distinct groups–13 “flivvers,” 12 “thousand tanners,” and six “flush deckers.”

20 destroyers were transferred in 1924 and five more in 1926. In 1930 six newer, flush deck Clemson class destroyers replaced six of the oldest and smallest ships from the original group of 20. It appears the torpedo tubes were removed from all destroyers during their period of Coast Guard service. The first 25 all had a raised Foc’sle.

Paulding class Coast Guard destroyer Beale (CG-9) former DD-40.

13 of the original 20 ships were Paulding class, built between 1909 and 1912; smaller than a 210 foot medium endurance cutter at 887 tons full load; 293 ft (89.31 m) overall; with a beam of only 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m); but they did have 12,000 HP and a speed of 29.5 knots. As newer larger ships were built these ships were referred to as “flivvers” a name previously given to the Model T Ford.

Tucker class Coast Guard destroyer Conyngham (CG-2) a thousand tanner.

Seven of the original group and all five of the group of five added in 1926 were from a group of 26 ships called thousand tonners. These twelve ships included three Cassin class;  two O’Brian class; four Tucker class; and three Sampson class all built between 1912 and 1917. These ships were about the same size as a WMEC210. Full load displacement ranged from 1,139 tons to 1,225 tons; length from 305 ft 3 in (93.04 m) to 315 ft 3 in (96.09 m); with a beam of 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m) to 30 ft 7 in (9.32 m). They had at least 16,000 HP and a speed of at least 29 knots.

Clemson class Coast Guard destroyer Semmes (DD-189)

In 1930 six Clemson class destroyers replaced six of the Paulding class. These ships were from the newest class of USN destroyers at the time. They displaced 1,308 tons (full load); were 314 ft 4.5 in (95.822 m) in length overall; with a beam of 30 ft 11.5 in (9.436 m). They developed up to 27,600 hp (20,600 kW) for a speed of 35 knots.

Coast Guard destroyer WELBORN C. WOOD (DD-195). To Britain September 9 1940, renamed HMS Chesterfield (I28)

There is a first hand account of what it was like here.

1928 photo of United States Coast Guard destroyers moored at New London, Connecticut. All are former US Navy destroyers loaned to the Coast Guard for Prohibition Service. Shown here are the Trippe (CG-20/DD-33), Wainwright (CG-24/DD-62), Downes (CG-4/DD-45), Beale (CG-9/DD-40) and Abel P. Upshur (CG-15/DD-193). Source: National Aviation Museum Collection, Photo No. 2009.006.001.

Below is a list of the Coast Guard destroyers including their US Navy hull numbers keyed to their Coast Guard numbers.

CG#/name/Navy hull# as built/class: Paulding (P), Cassin (Ca), O’Brian (O), Tucker (T), Sampson (S), Clemson (Cl)

  1. Cassin (DD-43) Ca
  2. Conyngham (DD-58) T
  3. Cummings (DD-44) Ca
  4. Downes (DD-45) Ca
  5. Ericsson (DD-56) O
  6. McDougal (DD-54) O
  7. Porter (DD-59) T
  8. Ammen (DD-35) P
  9. Beale (DD-40) P
  10. Burrow (DD-29) P
  11. Fanning (DD-37) P
  12. Henley (DD-39) P
  13. Jouett (DD-41) P
  14. McCall (DD-28) P
  15. Monaghan (DD-32) P replaced by Abel P. Upsur (DD-193) Cl
  16. Patterson (DD-36) P replaced by George E. Badger (DD-196) Cl
  17. Paulding (DD-22) P replaced by Herndon (DD-198) Cl
  18. Roe (DD-24) P replaced by Hunt (DD-194) Cl
  19. Terry (DD-25) P replaced by Welborn C. Wood (DD-195) Cl
  20. Trippe (DD-33) P replaced by Semmes (DD-189) Cl
  21. Davis (DD-65) S
  22. Shaw (DD-68) S
  23. Tucker (DD-57) T
  24. Wainwright (DD-62) T
  25. Wilkes (DD-67) S

Members of the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter George E. Badger (CG-16) pictured on board the ship while in the Marine Railway at the Boston Navy Yard, May 1933. Photo courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum.

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