USS Bering Strait

Tender of the United States Navy

USS Bering Strait (AVP-34) on 1 October 1944
History
United States
Name	USS Bering Strait
Namesake	The Bering Strait, connecting the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea
Builder	Lake Washington Shipyard, Houghton, Washington
Laid down	6 June 1943
Launched	15 January 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. George F. Cornwall
Commissioned	19 July 1944
Decommissioned	21 June 1946
Stricken	26 September 1966
Honors and awards	Three battle stars for World War II service
Fate	Loaned to U.S. Coast Guard 14 September 1948 Permanently transferred to Coast Guard 26 September 1966
United States
Name	USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382)
Namesake	Previous name retained
Acquired	Loaned by United States Navy14 September 1948 Transferred permanently to Coast Guard 26 September 1966
Commissioned	14 December 1948
Reclassified	High endurance cutter, WHEC-382, 1 May 1966
Decommissioned	1 January 1971[1]
Fate	Transferred to South Vietnam 1 January 1971
South Vietnam
Name	RVNS Trần Quang Khải (HQ-02)
Namesake	Trần Quang Khải (1241–1294), a Trần dynasty general
Acquired	1 January 1971
Fate	Fled to Philippines on collapse of South Vietnam April 1975 Formally sold to Republic of the Philippines 5 April 1976
Philippines
Name	BRP Diego Silang (PF-9)
Namesake	Filipino revolutionary Diego Silang y Andaya (1730–1763)
Acquired	April 1975 Formally purchased 5 April 1976
Commissioned	1980
Decommissioned	June 1985
Recommissioned	as BRP Diego Silang (PF-14) 1987
Decommissioned	April 1990
Fate	Discarded July 1990; probably scrapped
General characteristics (seaplane tender)
Class and type	Barnegat-class small seaplane tender
Displacement	1,766 tons (light) 2,750 tons (full load)
Length	311 ft 8 in (95.00 m)
Beam	41 ft 1 in (12.52 m)
Draft	13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Installed power	6,000 hp (4,500 kW)
Propulsion	Diesel engines, two shafts
Speed	18.6 knots (34.4 km/h)
Complement	215 (ship's company) 376 (including aviation unit)
Sensors and processing systems	Radar, sonar
Armament	1 × single gun mount 1 × quad antiaircraft gun mount 2 × dual 40-mm antiaircraft gun mounts 4 × dual 20 mm AA gun mounts 2 × depth charge tracks
Aviation facilities	Supplies, spare parts, repairs, and berthing for one seaplane squadron; 80,000 US gallons (300,000 L) aviation fuel
General characteristics (Coast Guard cutter)
Class and type	Casco-class cutter
Displacement	2,498 tons (full load) in 1964
Length	311 ft 7 in (94.97 m) overall 299 ft 11 in (91.41 m) between perpendiculars
Beam	41 ft 0 in (12.50 m) maximum
Draft	13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) maximum in 1964
Installed power	6,400 bhp (4,800 kW)
Propulsion	Fairbanks-Morse geared diesel engines, two shafts; 165,625 US gallons (626,960 L) of fuel
Speed	17.3 knots (32.0 km/h) (maximum sustained in 1966) 10.0 knots (18.5 km/h) (economic in 1966)
Range	10,138 nautical miles (18,776 km) at 17.3 knots (32.0 km/h) in 1966 20,000 nautical miles (37,000 km) at 10.0 knots (18.5 km/h) in 1966
Complement	151 (10 officers, 3 warrant officers , 138 enlisted personnel) in 1966
Sensors and processing systems	Radars in 1966 (one each): AN/SPA-4A; AN/SPS-23; ID-445/SPS; IP-307/SPS; IP-452/SPS; Mark 34 M11 ; AN/SPS-29B; AN/UPA-24A; AN/UPX-1A
Armament	In 1966: 1 × single 5-inch (127 mm) 38- antisubmarine projector; 2 × Mark 32 Mod 2 torpedo launchers with 3 torpedo tubes each)
General characteristics (Republic of Vietnam Navy frigate)
Class and type	Trần Quang Khải-class frigate
Displacement	1,766 tons (standard) 2,800 tons (full load)
Length	310 ft 9 in (94.72 m) (overall); 300 ft 0 in (91.44 m) waterline
Beam	41 ft 1 in (12.52 m)
Draft	13 ft 5 in (4.09 m)
Installed power	6,080 hp (4,534 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Fairbanks Morse 38D diesel engines
Speed	approximately 18 knots (maximum)
Complement	approximately 200
Armament	1 × 5-inch/38-caliber (127 mm) dual-purpose gun 1 or 2 x 81 mm mortars in some ships[2] Several machine guns
General characteristics (Philippine Navy frigate)
Class and type	Andrés Bonifacio-class frigate
Displacement	1,766 tons (standard) 2,800 tons (full load)
Length	311.65 ft (94.99 m)
Beam	41.18 ft (12.55 m)
Draft	13.66 ft (4.16 m)
Installed power	6,200 hp (4,600 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesel engines
Speed	18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) (maximum)
Range	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h)
Sensors and processing systems	Sperry SPS-53 Surface Search Radar[3] Westinghouse AN/SPS-29 Air Search Radar[3] Mk.26 Mod.1 Fire Control System[3] Mk.52 Mod.3 Gun Director
Armament	1 × Mk.12 5"/38 caliber gun (127 mm) dual purpose gun 2 × Mk.1 Twin Bofors L/60 40 mm AA guns 2 × Mk.3 Single Bofors L/60 40 mm AA guns 4 × Twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 4 × M2 Browning .50-caliber (12.7 mm) general purpose machine guns 2 × 81 mm Mortars
Aircraft carried	None permanently assigned; helipad could accommodate one MBB Bo 105 Helicopter
Aviation facilities	Helipad; no support capability

USS Bering Strait (AVP-34) was a

battle stars

by war's end.

After her U.S. Navy career ended, the ship served in the

Philippines, where she was incorporated into the Philippine Navy

, in which she served from 1980 to 1985 as the frigate BRP Diego Silang (PF-9) and as BRP Diego Silang (PF-14) from 1987 to 1990.

Construction and commissioning

Bering Strait was laid down on 7 June 1943 at Houghton, Washington, by Lake Washington Shipyard. She was launched on 15 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. George F. Cornwall, and commissioned at her builder's yard on 19 July 1944.

United States Navy service

After fitting out and conducting her initial

Los Angeles, California, upon completion of that training, Bering Strait underwent two weeks of repairs and alterations at Terminal Island Naval Drydocks at Terminal Island

, California.

World War II

Training operations in Hawaii

Reporting for duty with the

Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay at Kaneohe

, Hawaii, the same day.

Arriving at her destination on the 6th, Bering Strait received orders to organize and train an air-sea rescue task group made up of herself and the seaplane detachment of Rescue Squadron 2 (VH-2), an assignment that required her to exchange her aviation spare parts allowance for PBM-3D Mariner patrol bombers for spares for PBM-3R Mariner rescue aircraft. Returning to Pearl Harbor on 23 November 1944, Bering Strait underwent a shipyard availability and then loaded the equipment of Rescue Squadron 3 (VH-3), which had been substituted for VH-2.

Operations in the Marshall Islands

Bering Strait sailed for the Marshall Islands on 1 December 1944. During the passage to Kwajalein Atoll, the ship served as antisubmarine screen for the seaplane tender USS Cumberland Sound.

After pausing at Kwajalein from 9 to 12 December, Bering Strait returned to sea again with Cumberland Sound and steamed to

Eniwetok

, arriving there on 13 December 1944 to carry out air-sea rescue training, which began after VH-3 arrived from Kaneohe on 15 December. She conducted nine days of training with VH-3 before that squadron transferred to Cumberland Sound on 24 December 1944.

Bering Strait, along with the

Eniwetok to Saipan in the Mariana Islands

, departing on 24 December 1944.

Operations in the Mariana Islands

Bering Strait and her convoy arrived on 28 December 1944 at Garapan Harbor on Saipan. Shifting on 29 December 1944 to Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, she received VH-3 on board that day.

On 1 January 1945, however, Bering Strait transferred her aviation maintenance unit to VH-3 for temporary duty and sent her aviation officer, aviation storekeepers, all aviation spare parts, and three of her boats to the naval air base at Tanapag, so that the organization could be maintained intact ashore. That day, she reported to Commander, Marianas Patrol and Escort Force, for temporary operational control for radar picket and air-sea rescue duty. She departed Tanapag Harbor on 5 January 1945 to take up her new task.

From 6 to 15 January 1945, Bering Strait operated 10 nautical miles (19 km) west of

fighter-director officer from a United States Marine Corps aircraft group on 18 January 1945, and departed later that day to assume radar picket duties as fighter-director ship in Operation Michigan to intercept Japanese planes operating between Iwo Jima and Truk

.

Returning to Saipan on 28 January 1945 for logistics and to disembark the U.S. Marine Corps fighter-direction officer, Bering Strait commenced a six days of voyage repairs. On 4 February 1945, she sailed to relieve the destroyer USS Fanning on air-sea rescue lifeguard station.

At 23:00 hours on 10 February 1945, Bering Strait made contact with a homeward-bound

B-29 Superfortress, first by radar and then visually. The ship switched on her lights and stood by for a landing, illuminating the sea and then indicating the wind direction with searchlights. The B-29, named Deacon's Delight, accomplished "an almost perfect ditching,"^[4] and Bering Strait's motor whaleboat took the entire 12-man crew on board and brought them to the ship. Then, after collecting floating debris and gear, and riddling the Superfortress with gunfire in a vain effort to sink it, Bering Strait rammed and sank the hardy bomber

.

An hour earlier, Bering Strait had picked up a report that another B-29, named Homing Bird, had ditched. After completing the rescue of Deacon's Delight's crew, the ship headed for the scene of Homing Bird's crash. Guided to the scene by a "Dumbo" air-sea rescue aircraft the ship arrived there by 16:05 hours on 11 February 1945 and picked up the entire 11-man crew immediately.

Work still remained to be done, however, for soon after winding up the rescue of Homing Bird's crew, Bering Strait received orders to rendezvous with the high-speed minelayer USS Robert H. Smith, to pick up the crew of a Superfortress that had ditched around 22:30 hours on 10 February 1945. The violent landing had claimed the lives of four of the B-29's crew. A patrolling "Dumbo" spotted the men the next morning, dropped survival gear, and covered them until Robert H. Smith picked them up that afternoon. On the morning of 12 February 1945, Bering Strait embarked the seven survivors of the third B-29. Returning to Saipan on 15 February, the ship disembarked the airmen the same day.

On the night of Bering Strait's return to her station, on 19 February 1945, a B-29 had ditched at 21:00, 12 nautical miles (22 km) north of

life jacket for two hours, and sighted two bodies but could not recover them. Fortunately, the airmen had been spotted in the darkness because of tiny lights pinned to their life jackets, lights that had been "stolen"^[4] from the Navy "on personal initiative."^[4] Bering Strait disembarked those survivors at Saipan on 21 February 1945, and got underway later the same day to relieve the destroyer USS Cummings

on lifeguard station.

Returning to Saipan on 3 March 1945, Bering Strait spent the next six days in a shipyard availability before setting out to resume her lifeguard work on 9 March.

On 10 March, Bering Strait established contact with a B-29, nicknamed Hopeful Devil, that radioed a distress call during its return from a bombing mission over the Japanese home islands. The Superfortress ditched alongside at 12:38 hours, and Bering Strait picked up the nine-man crew in short order. Almost immediately, Bering Strait picked up a position report on another ditched B-29, and steered a course to the rescue. Although the position reports provided the ship proved incorrect because a "Dumbo" pilot mistook Guguan Island for Alamagan, Bering Strait spotted a "Dumbo" orbiting 10 nautical miles (19 km) southwest of Guguan and altered course to investigate. She picked up the 11-man crew of that ditched B-29 and then shaped a course for her lifeguard station.^[5]

Bering Strait remained at sea, 28 nautical miles (52 km) from Pagan Island, from 11 to 14 March 1945, at which time she relieved her sister ship, the seaplane tender USS Cook Inlet at another air-sea rescue station. Returning to Saipan for logistics on 16 March 1945, Bering Strait disembarked the 20 airmen taken on board since 10 March 1945 before sailing for Guam.

Bering Strait's performance of her rescue function earned her accolades from the Commanding General of the

For the next three months, Bering Strait served as the coordinating control tender at Kerama Retto, not only tending seaplanes but also conducting sonar searches to guard against midget submarine incursions. Planes under her direction carried out 268 missions during April, May, and June 1945, rescuing 105 men from 39 different squadrons – 26 U.S. Navy, ten U.S. Marine Corps, two U.S. Army Air Forces, and one British Fleet Air Arm. The aircraft carrier-based squadrons among that number came from 23 ships, including the British fleet carrier HMS Formidable.

Twice during April 1945, one of Bering Strait's planes was forced down by friendly fire and compelled to taxi back to base. On 23 April 1945, one of her PBMs transferred a severely wounded U.S. Marine to the seaplane tender

Pilots and aircrew proved not the only beneficiaries of Bering Strait's controlled rescue missions. On 27 May 1945, two kamikaze suicide aircraft crashed the destroyer USS Braine. One Bering Strait-based PBM rescued ten men from the ship while a second stood by in case the need arose to fly critically hurt sailors to medical treatment. On other occasions, Bering Strait's planes escorted damaged aircraft to safety, or directed ships to the assistance of survivors in the water.

The ship's stay at Kerama Retto likewise proved eventful, as, during that three-month period the ship went to general quarters 154 times; there was one day, 6 June 1945, on which the ship stood to battle stations six times. On 5 May 1945, two of her men suffered injuries when hit by shrapnel from friendly fire bursting too close to the ship during an attack by Japanese planes; she herself then fired on a Japanese plane attempting to crash on the nearby St. George. On 21 June, Bering Strait's guns shot down a Nakajima E4N Type 00 (Allied reporting name "Jake") reconnaissance floatplane. During that same raid, just after one kamikaze had crashed the seaplane tender USS Curtiss, a second overflew Bering Strait and headed for the seaplane tender USS Kenneth Whiting. Bering Strait took the kamikaze under fire and shot it down short of Kenneth Whiting.

Relieved of her duties as coordinating control tender on 30 June 1945, Bering Strait shifted to Chimu Bay, Okinawa, on 15 July. She tended four PBMs from VH-3 until 7 August, when she transferred them to another seaplane tender and assumed duties tending six planes from Rescue Squadron 1 (VH-1). Twice during her first months at Chimu Bay weather compelled her to undertake typhoon evasion, once from 19 to 20 July 1945 and again between 1 and 3 August 1945.

Hostilities with Japan ended on 15 August 1945, bringing World War II to a close, while Bering Strait was operating at Chimu Bay.

Honors and awards

Bering Strait was awarded three

Post-World War II

Departing Okinawa on 26 September 1945, Bering Strait headed for

Barnegat-class ships were very reliable and seaworthy and had good habitability, and the Coast Guard viewed them as ideal for

The Navy loaned Bering Strait to the United States Coast Guard on 14 September 1948. After undergoing conversion for Coast Guard use, she was commissioned into the Coast Guard on 14 December 1948 as USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382).

Pacific operations 1948–1967

Bering Strait was stationed at

In 1954 she was transferred to

Bering Strait conducted oceanographic experiments on Ocean Station Victor, 34N 164E, in December 1964 and January 1965. On 13 January 1965, she relieved the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Matagorda, which had been damaged while standing by the disabled Liberian merchant ship Saint Helena 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km) northwest of Midway Atoll. While Matagorda steamed to Midway and then on to Honolulu in heavy seas, Bering Strait stood by Saint Helena, which was in danger of breaking in two, until a commercial tug arrived to assist the merchant ship.

Bering Strait was reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC-382 on 1 May 1966. She again conducted oceanographic experiments at Ocean Station Victor from 19 June 1966 to 10 July 1966. Her loan period from the Navy came to an end on 26 September 1966, when she was transferred permanently from the Navy to the Coast Guard.

Vietnam War service 1967–1968

In 1967, Bering Strait was assigned to Coast Guard Squadron Three, which was designated

Coast Guard Squadron Three was tasked to operate in conjunction with U.S. Navy forces in Operation Market Time, the interdiction of North Vietnamese arms and munitions traffic along the coastline of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The squadron's other Vietnam War duties included fire support for ground forces, resupplying Coast Guard and Navy patrol boats, and search-and-rescue operations. Serving in the squadron with Gresham and Bering Strait were cutters USCGC Yakutat, USCGC Barataria and USCGC Half Moon; like Bering Strait and Gresham, they all were former Navy Barnegat-class ships. They departed Pearl Harbor on 26 April 1967 and reported to Commander, United States Seventh Fleet, for Market Time duty on 4 May 1967. They were joined by Navy radar picket destroyer escorts (DERs) of Escort Squadrons 5 and 7.

The ten Market Time ships arrived at

Pacific operations 1968–1970

Bering Strait returned to her conventional Coast Guard duties in 1968, still operating from Honolulu. From 24 February 1970 to 1 March 1970 she fought a fire on the Panamanian merchant ship Grand Ocean in the mid-Pacific.

Vietnam War service 1970

Bering Strait returned to Coast Guard Squadron Three for service in the Vietnam War on 17 May 1970. Her second Vietnam tour of duty ended on 31 December 1970.

Decommissioning

After her

Republic of Vietnam Navy service