USS Biscayne
USS Biscayne (AVP-11) on 29 January 1942
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | USS Biscayne (AVP-11) |
Namesake | Biscayne Bay in Florida |
Builder | Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington |
Laid down | 27 October 1939 |
Launched | 23 May 1941 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. A. M. Charleton |
Commissioned | 3 July 1941 |
Decommissioned | 29 June 1946 |
Reclassified | Amphibious command ship, AGC-18, 10 October 1944 |
Honors and awards | Six battle stars for World War II service |
Fate | Transferred to U.S. Coast Guard 10 July 1946 |
Acquired | Transferred from U.S. Coast Guard 9 July 1968 |
Fate | Sunk as target 1968 |
United States | |
Name | USCGC Dexter (WAGC-385) |
Namesake | Samuel Dexter (1761–1816), United States Secretary of the Treasury (1801) |
Acquired | By transfer from United States Navy on either 10 July 1946,[1] 19 July 1946,[2] or 29 July 1946[3] |
Commissioned | 20 September 1946[4] |
Decommissioned | 17 December 1952 |
Recommissioned | 30 June 1958 |
Decommissioned | 18 January 1968 |
Reclassified |
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Fate | Transferred to U.S. Navy 9 July 1968 |
General characteristics (seaplane tender) | |
Class and type | Barnegat-class small seaplane tender |
Displacement | 1,766 tons (light); 2,750 tons (full load) |
Length | 310 ft 9 in (94.72 m) |
Beam | 41 ft 1 in (12.52 m) |
Draught | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
Installed power | 6,000 megawatts ) |
Propulsion | Diesel engines, two shafts |
Speed | 18.6 knots (34.4 km/h) |
Complement |
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Sensors and processing systems | Sonar |
Armament |
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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 | 2,442 tons in 1965 |
Length | 310 ft 9 in (94.72 m) overall; 300 ft 0 in (91.44 m) between perpendiculars |
Beam | 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m) maximum |
Draft | 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) maximum in 1965 |
Installed power | 6,150 bhp (4,590 kW) |
Propulsion | Fairbanks-Morse geared diesel engines, two shafts; 144,442 US gallons (546,770 L) of fuel |
Speed |
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Range |
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Complement | 78 (10 officers, 2 warrant officers , 66 enlisted personnel) in 1965 |
Sensors and processing systems | |
Armament | In 1965: 1 x single 5-inch (127 mm) 38- gun mount , 1 x Mark 52 Mod 2 director, 1 x Mark 26 Mod 3 fire-control radar |
USS Biscayne (AVP-11), later AGC-18, was a
Construction and commissioning
Biscayne was laid down on 27 October 1939 at
World War II
Seaplane tender operations
Following her shakedown cruise, Biscayne joined the Atlantic Fleet and operated out of Boston, Massachusetts, on patrol and plane guard missions from 7 December 1941 until 27 May 1942. For the next four months she served as a seaplane tender and communications ship in Newfoundland and Greenland waters.
Biscayne departed
Biscayne moved to
Amphibious force flagship operations in the Mediterranean
Biscayne arrived at
Departing Bizerte on 10 July 1943, Biscayne served as flagship of the Joss (
. She remained off Sicily until 22 July 1943 and then returned to Bizerte.On 7 November 1943, Biscayne became the flagship of Rear Admiral
Biscayne became the flagship of Rear Admiral B. J. Rodgers, Commander, Amphibious Group 2, 8th Amphibious Force, in May 1944. Between 15 August 1944 and 16 September 1944, she took part in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France.
On 10 October 1944, Biscayne was officially reclassified as a miscellaneous flagship and redesignated AGC-18.
Amphibious force flagship operations in the Pacific Theater
Biscayne left the
Biscayne took part in the invasion of
After her tour at Okinawa, Biscayne retired to
Honors and awards
Biscayne received six
23 June 1950 From: Chief of Naval Personnel Addressed to all personnel/sailors Subject: Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon Bar The Secretary of the Navy has awarded the U.S.S. Biscayne the Navy Unit Commendation for meritorious service in action against enemy aircraft, shore batteries, surface forces and mines in both the European and Pacific Theaters of Operation.
Post-World War II
Biscayne departed the Philippines on 8 September 1945 to support the occupation of Korea. She remained on occupation duty in Korean and Chinese waters until 30 October 1945, when she left for the United States.
Biscayne arrived at
Decommissioning
Biscayne was decommissioned on 29 June 1946.
United States Coast Guard service
The Navy transferred Biscayne to the Coast Guard on either 10 July 1946,
Atlantic service 1946–1952
Dexter was stationed at Boston, Massachusetts, which would remain her home port until December 1952, and was redesignated WAVP-385 at some point during her time there. Her primary duty was to serve on ocean stations in the Atlantic Ocean to gather meteorological data. While on duty in one of these stations, she was required to patrol a 210-square-mile (544-square-kilometer) area for three weeks at a time, leaving the area only when physically relieved by another Coast Guard cutter or in the case of a dire emergency. While on station, she acted as an aircraft check point at the point of no return, a relay point for messages from ships and aircraft, as a source of the latest weather information for passing aircraft, as a floating oceanographic laboratory, and as a search-and-rescue ship for downed aircraft and vessels in distress, and engaged in law enforcement operations. She arrived at Boston to assume her duties on 17 October 1946.
On 30 November 1946, Dexter was at Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada, underway to her first ocean station duty at Ocean Station Charlie. By 28 December 1946 she was back in Boston. For the next few months, she was on Ocean Station Charlie and Ocean Station Alfa, taking time out in October 1947 for underway training near Berkley Station at Norfolk, Virginia.
Dexter served on
On 4 November 1948, while underway from Ocean Station Alfa, Dexter assisted the fishing vessel Pan Pades Andros, which was disabled about 30 nautical miles (56 km) southeast of Sable Island. Following this assistance case, Dexter was put into repair status until 12 February 1949, when repairs were completed and she was in port on standby.
On 14 February 1949, Dexter relieved the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Winnebago (WPG-40) from duty on Ocean Station Delta, and in turn was relieved by the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Androscoggin (WPG-68). On 27 April 1949 she relieved the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Ingham (WPG-35) on Ocean Station Echo and on 29 April 1949 was underway to Bermuda with an injured crew member. She resumed station on 3 May 1949. On 21 May 1949 she assisted the fishing vessel Sea Hawk and on 22 May 1949 turned Sea Hawk over to the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Legare (WSC-144) for further assistance. She then returned to Boston for repairs.
On 30 July 1949, Dexter assisted the U.S. Navy
For the next few months, Dexter had her regular ocean station patrols with nothing unusual happening until 7 August 1950, when she went off Ocean Station Charlie temporarily to assist the merchant ship SS Belfrey, and proceeded to escort her toward St. John's, Newfoundland, until 11 August 1950, when she was relieved of the escort duty by Coast Guard cutter USCGC Spencer (WPG-36) and returned to Ocean Station Charlie. On 26 November 1950 she assisted U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Tweedy, which was adrift off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
On 2 January 1951 Dexter departed Boston en route Ocean Station Hotel. In April 1951 she was temporarily off Ocean Station Echo for two days, while investigating a reported depth charge in the area. On 11 June 1951 she temporarily departed Ocean Station Delta on a distress-response mission and reoccupied the station on 14 June 1951. During November 1951, she was forced to leave Ocean Station Alfa for a short while due to an urgent medical case.
On 19 February 1952, Dexter left
On 17 December 1952, Dexter was decommissioned at the Coast Guard Yard and placed in storage there. In 1957 she was re-engined with four new
Pacific service 1958–1968
Dexter was recommissioned on 30 June 1958 and assigned to a new home port, Alameda, California. She departed Curtis Bay on 14 July 1958 under the command of Commander Bainbridge Leland, USCG.
Dexter also participated as a search-and-rescue patrol vessel for various
Dexter also conducted search and rescue operations. On 18 July 1959, she towed the disabled fishing vessel Cloud Nine until relieved by the Coast Guard
Dexter was reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC-385 on 1 May 1966.
Decommissioning and disposal
On 18 January 1968, the Coast Guard decommissioned Dexter. She was transferred to the U.S. Navy on 9 July 1968 and sunk as a target later that year.
References
- ^ Per NavSource.org at http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/01/0118.htm Archived 16 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Per the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b6/biscayne-i.htm Archived 24 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Per the United States Coast Guard Historian's Office at http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Dexter1946.asp Archived 24 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ NavSource.org at http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/01/0118.htm Archived 16 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine claims the commissioning date was 8 June 1949, but the almost three-year lag between acquisition and commissioning this requires would be aberrant for this class of ships and contradicts the more likely 20 September 1946 date given by the United States Coast Guard Historian's Office at http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Dexter1946.asp Archived 24 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Per NavSource.org at http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/01/0118.htm
- ^ Per the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b6/biscayne-i.htm
- ^ Per the United States Coast Guard Historian's Office at http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Dexter1946.asp
- ^ NavSource.org at http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/01/0118.htm claims the commissioning date was 8 June 1949, but the almost three-year lag between acquisition and commissioning this requires would be aberrant for this class of ships and contradicts the more likely 20 September 1946 date given by the United States Coast Guard Historian's Office at http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Dexter1946.asp
- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1982, p. 256.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center: Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships: USS Biscayne (AVP-11, later AGC-18), 1941–1946
- NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive – AVP-11 / AGC-18 Biscayne – WAGC-16 / WAVP / WHEC-385 Dexter
- United States Coast Guard Historian's Office: Dexter, 1946 ex-USS Biscayne WAGC-18; WAVP / WHEC-385 Radio call sign: NODC
- United States Coast Guard Historian's Office: Mackinac, 1949 WHEC-371
- Chesneau, Roger. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books, Inc., 1980. ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
- Gardiner, Robert. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1982, Part I: The Western Powers. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1983. ISBN 0-87021-918-9.