USCGC Northland WWII
MyCG has the best short history of the Greenland Patrol I have ever seen. It explains the crucial importance of this apparently minor theater of WWII. I have also added a link to the story on my heritage page.
A little footnote on the War in Ukraine. This is from Covert Shores “Attack On Kerch Bridge: Initial Geolocation Of Damage.” A section at the bottom of the post is a look at increased Russian activity after the attack on the bridge.
Take a look at the detail picture of the harbor, above, top, near the center, second from the right. The thin wavy line is a boom or net accross the entrence to Sevastopol harbor.
Steel floats for anti-submarine nets, 1953
Anti-submarine nets were common during WWII, and booms go back to at least the American Revolution if not to antiquity. This may be in response to Ukraine’s apparent use of unmanned surface vessels. I have seen some barriers deployed around aircraft carriers moored at North Island in San Diego.
What does this have to do with the Coast Guard? Buoy tenders were commonly used as Net Tenders during WWII, opening and closing the anti-submarine nets.
Armed unmanned surface and subsurface vehicles are providing a new reason to deploy nets and barriers. We may see a return of these systems.
Photo by Gregg Derr/The Patriot Ledger
Report of an historic lighthouse preservation effort from The Patriot Ledger.
The lantern room of the Scituate Lighthouse was removed Thursday morning after preservation experts discovered the iron columns connecting the room to the tower are severely corroded…The lantern room of the 211-year-old lighthouse will be completely rebuilt through a $2 million project paid for by the Scituate Community Preservation Fund. The work includes putting in a new frame, new window frames, new copper cladding and glazing.
SABENA Douglas DC-4-1009 Skymaster OO-CBR, sister-ship of OO-CBG
CDR Frank Erickson, USCG, the first US Naval Aviation helicopter pilot.
I am sharing a post written by Coast Guard Aviator, Capt. Sean M. Cross, that appeared on his Facebook Page. Captain Cross’s Facebook page provides daily stories about Coast Guard aviation history. I have a bit of a personal connection, because his dad, former Vice Commandant, VAdm. Terry M. Cross, USCG (ret.), served with me, on my first active duty station, USCGC McCulloch. Even then, it was clear he was a standout.
The Active-class cutter USCGC Alert (WMEC-127) moored on the Columbia River, by Hayden Island in Portland, Oregon. Seen on 14 August 2019. Photo from Wikipedia by godsfriendchuck.
Just saw this news release and realized they were talking about the former USCGC Alert (WMEC-127). We talked about this ship and its unfortunate post Coast Guard history earlier including a lot of information in the comments.
Since this was what passed for a WMEC when I entered the academy in 1965, you can see why I sometimes see the Webber class FRCs as MECs. The FRCs have more freeboard.
| News Release |
U.S. Coast Guard 13th District PA Detachment Astoria |
Coast Guard, other agencies to remove 2 abandoned vessels from Columbia River in Portland, Ore.
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Coast Guard and other agencies have approved a plan Wednesday to remove two abandoned vessels from the Columbia River in Portland.
The vessels Alert, a 125-foot vessel, and Sakarissa, a 100-foot vessel, are currently sunk off Hayden Island. They are adjacent to the Interstate 5 Bridge and a mile upriver from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad bridge.
Due to hull deterioration and oil saturation of the vessels’ interiors, they have been discharging a sheen into the waterway. They also pose a collision hazard for vessels operating outside the navigation channel.
“Even though the Coast Guard oversaw the removal of thousands of gallons of diesel and oily water from these vessels in 2020, they still pose a risk,” said L.t. Lisa Siebert, the Incident Management Division Supervisor at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River – Detachment Portland. “We have worked closely with our State and local partners to develop an integrated plan to remove these vessels and protect the public and the environment.”
This project will be funded in two phases. During the first phase, the Coast Guard plans to use the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) to raise the vessels and transport them to a facility in order to safely pump any remaining oil waste product from the vessels. During the second phase, the Oregon Department of State Lands, with funding support from Metro, is scheduled to assume custody of the vessels for final disposal.
The Coast Guard was granted authorization to access the OSLTF for $1 million for its phase of the project. There is currently a ceiling amount of $500,000 for each vessel. This amount is determined for the response based on anticipated obligations. Since this is just an estimate, this ceiling is subject to change during the response.
The Coast Guard plans to begin operations in early September, starting with dive assessments to determine the safest way to raise and transport the two vessels. The Coast Guard plans to conduct operations to raise the vessels throughout the month of September.
“These plans are preliminary and we will continuously assess our plan and make adjustments if needed,” Siebert said. “Throughout this response, the safety of the public and responders will remain our top priority.”
During project activities, the immediate vicinity of the area will be closed to public access.
“I’m incredibly happy our partnerships and hard work resulted in a much-needed plan to remove these vessels,” Siebert said. “This project is truly a team effort and we can’t do it alone.”
Involved in developing the plan were the Coast Guard, Oregon Department of State Lands, Metro, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For the most up-to-date information about this project, follow us on Twitter at @USCGPacificNW.
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, edited by M.Minderhoud
The Navy League’s Magazine “Seapower” reports on a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of the Guadalcanal campaign, held in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Quite properly Vice Admiral Andrew Tiongson, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, was there representing the Coast Guard.
USS Hunter Liggett (APA-14) c. 1943-44
The Coast Guard manned transport USS Hunter Liggett was flagship of Task Force 62.1 which transported the 1st Marine Division, with Maj. Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift, USMC, Commander ground forces, embarked. The story of Douglas Munro is well know, but there were other Coast Guard heros there as well. Ultimately the Coast Guard would suffer its largest single loss of personnel in the waters of Guadalcanal, when the Coast Guard manned ammunition ship USS Serpens (AK-97) exploded on January 29, 1945, while anchored off Laguna Beach.
Some stories:
The Long Blue Line: Tulagi’s Coxswains–the services 1st Silver Star recipients
The Long Blue Line: The “Green Hell” of Guadalcanal 80 years ago!
Gold Dust Twins: The Two Coast Guardsmen Who Saved Chesty Puller’s Marines on Guadalcanal
“The Marines were being driven back to the beach and many did not have radios to request assistance. A single “HELP” spelled out in T-shirts on the ridge near the beach sent a loud and clear signal to those looking on.”
“This man is the only US Coast Guard recipient of the Medal of Honor”
Joseph Toahty, Pawnee Warrior Of Guadalcanal
Loss of USS Serpens (AK-97), Jan. 29, 1945
Port side view of USS Cumberland as a receiving ship, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, 1938 with former USCG 75 foot patrol boats in the foreground.
Just a small footnote in Coast Guard histroy I stumbled across. Apparently, 51 Coast Guard prohibition era 75 foot “six bitter” patrol boats were sold to the Navy in 1933/34 and at least a few of them ended up at the Naval Academy as training ships for midshipmen.
The link above “U.S.C.G. Patrol Craft Built before WWII (Six-Bitters, WPC, WSC)” “…lists the 317 patrol craft built or acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard from its organization in 1915 through the start of WWII.” I have added the link to my Heritage page.
It is on the Op-Ed/Guest Opinion page, by Susan J. Curtin who is the chair and Wes Pulver who is the president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association. Read their opinion here.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 