USCGC Cuyahoga
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Cuyahoga |
Namesake | Cuyahoga River in Ohio |
Builder | American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation, Camden, New Jersey |
Laid down | 1926 |
Launched | 27 January 1927 |
Commissioned | 3 March 1927 |
Decommissioned | 29 May 1933 |
Identification | WSC-157 |
Fate | Transferred to the U.S. Navy |
United States | |
Commissioned | 1 April 1935 |
Decommissioned | 17 May 1941 |
Identification | AG-26[1] |
Fate | Returned to the U.S. Coast Guard |
United States | |
Commissioned | 17 May 1941 (USCG) |
Identification | WIX-157 |
Fate |
|
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Active-class patrol boat |
Displacement | 320 tons |
Length | 125 ft (38 m) |
Beam | 23.5 ft (7.2 m) |
Draft | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
Propulsion | twin diesel |
Range | 4,900 miles (7,900 km)[clarification needed] |
Complement | 29 |
Sensors and processing systems | |
Armament |
|
USCGC Cuyahoga (WIX-157) was an Active-class patrol boat built in 1927 which saw action in World War II. Cuyahoga sank after a night-time collision in the Chesapeake Bay while on patrol in 1978. She was later raised and re-sunk as an artificial reef off the Virginia coast and is a popular recreational dive site.
Background
The Active-class was one of the most useful and long lasting in the service. Thirty-three ships were built with sixteen
History
U.S. Coast Guard (WSC-157)
USCGC Cuyahoga was built by
On 29 May 1933 Cuyahoga arrived at the Washington Navy Yard and commissioned in the U.S. Navy on 1 April 1935 as AG-26, a tender for the Presidential Yacht USS Potomac.[1][2]
U.S. Coast Guard (WIX-157)
She returned to Coast Guard jurisdiction on 17 May 1941 and recommissioned by the Coast Guard at the Washington Navy Yard on that day. She arrived at her new permanent station at Baltimore, Maryland 20 May 1941.[2]
On 17 January 1942 her permanent station was changed from Baltimore to
After the war, Cuyahoga operated out of Norfolk until May 1946 when she, along with Calypso, was placed "In Commission-Reserve" status due to personnel shortages. In April 1947 Cuyahoga was transferred from Norfolk to the
From 1957 to 1959 she was assigned to New London, Connecticut for training officer candidates. Later in 1959 arrived at Yorktown, Virginia where she continued to provide training for officer candidates.[2]
Collision and sinking
On 20 October 1978, Cuyahoga was the oldest commissioned vessel in Coast Guard service and was conducting a night-time training cruise during clear weather. She was heading north at 12 knots in the
The pilot of Santa Cruz, John P. Hamill, identified Cuyahoga, and neither he nor the ship's Captain Abdelardo Albornoz were concerned as the two ships appeared to be passing port-to-port. When the two vessels were 1,200 yards apart Cuyahoga turned west, into the path of Santa Cruz, to enter the Potomac River to moor for the night.[5] Hamill immediately sounded Santa Cruz's whistle signaling that he would maintain course and speed and that the cutter should return to its original course. After waiting 30 seconds without any response from Cuyahoga Hamill sounded a danger warning of five short blasts.[4]
Robinson still believed the vessel was a small fishing boat and that it was also turning into the Potomac River, sounded his whistle in acknowledgement and turned further west. Robinson realized that he was about to collide with a freighter and ordered "all engines stop," then "full reverse". At 9:07pm, the bulbous underwater bow of Santa Cruz tore through Cuyahoga's midship, 40 feet from the stern, rolling her over at a 50 degree angle. Robinson had reversed back into the path of Santa Cruz.[4]
Cuyahoga sank within two minutes of the collision in 58 feet of water. The cutter's 13-foot Boston Whaler utility boat had popped free of the sinking vessel and Boatswain's Mate Roger Wild put the injured survivors in the boat. The un-injured clung to the sides of the boat until the freighter returned to pick up survivors.[4] Eleven on board Cuyahoga were killed, but 18 survived.[2][4]
The Marine Casualty Report, number USCG 16732/92368 dated 31 July 1979, concluded:
The Commandant has determined that the proximate cause of the casualty was that the commanding officer of the USCGC CUYAHOGA failed to properly identify the navigation lights displayed by the M/V SANTA CRUZ II. As a result he did not comprehend that the vessels were in a meeting situation, and altered the CUYAHOGA's course to port taking his vessel into the path of the SANTA CRUZ II.[6]
Post-collision repair and scuttling
Two U.S. Navy
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cuyahoga, 1927 WIX / WMEC / WSC-157". U.S. Coast Guard. November 2001. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ "USCGC McLane (WSC 146)" (PDF). Retiree Newsletter (news letter). 6 (4). Seattle, Washington: USCG Integrated Support Command Worklife (Retiree Council): 6. 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f
Shomette, Donald (1982). Shipwrecks on the Chesapeake. Centreville, Maryland: Tidewater Publishers. pp. 228–237. ISBN 0-87033-283-X.
- ^ a b Empresa Lineas Maritimas Argentinas S.A. v. United States of America, 730 F.2d 153 (4th Cir. 1984).
- ^ "Marine Casualty Report, number USCG 16732 / 92368" (PDF). United States Coast Guard. 31 July 1979.
- ^ a b Anonymous, "The Sinking of the USCGC Cuyahoga," proptalk.com, September 28, 2016, 08:00 Retrieved January 7, 2019
- ^ "USCGC CUYAHOGA (WIX 157) Memorial". U.S. Coast Guard, Training Center Yorktown. 31 October 2007. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
Bibliography
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Flynn, Jim; Lortz, Ed; Lukas, Holger (March 2018). "Answer 39/48". Warship International. LV (January 2018): 23–25. ISSN 0043-0374.