The Twenties was an era of growth for the Coast Guard first in response to Prohibition
and then in response to increased transoceanic commercial airline flights
10 new classes were commissioned
New small boats came into service
The Academy got a new training cutter
Most of these Cutters fought through WWII
75′ “Six Bitters” Patrol Boat
Commissioned as patrol boats without hull numbers
Designed for prohibition – excellent patrol boats – un-named
Model: Yes
Designation | Name | Service | Comments | Pictures |
USCGC | Un-Named | 1925 – 1936 | Numbered – Un-named | CGH NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS |
100′ “100 Footers” Patrol Boat
Commissioned as patrol boats without hull numbers
Designed for prohibition – proved uneconomical
Model: No
Designation | Name | Service | Comments | Pictures |
USCGC | Corwin | 1925 – 1936 | To the Navy | NS |
USCGC | Dallas | 1925 – 1936 | To the Navy | NS |
USCGC | Dexter | 1925 – 1936 | To the Navy | NS |
USCGC | Eagle | 1925 – 1936 | To the Navy | |
USCGC | Forward | 1925 – 1947 | Converted to tender in 1941 | |
USCGC | Gallatin | 1926 – 1935 | To the Navy | NS |
USCGC | Mahoning | 1926 – 1935 | ||
USCGC | Nansemond (later Phlox) | 1926 – 1949 | Converted to buoy tender | |
USCGC | Naugatuck | 1926 – 1935 | To the Navy | |
USCGC | Patriot | 1926 – 1938 | To the Navy | NS |
USCGC | Perry | 1926 – 1937 | ||
USCGC | Petrel (later Pine) | 1926 – 1940 | Converted to buoy tender | |
USCGC | Wolcott | 1926 – 1936 |
Floating Base
4 concrete and 2 wooden vessels acquired as mobile floating headquarters
Provided offshore support for prohibition patrol cutters
Model: No
Designation | Name | Service | Comments | Pictures |
USCGC | Argus (ex Major E. Picket) | 1925 – 1929 | 128′ concrete hulled Army transport Became the flagship of the CG DD Force |
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USCGC | Colfax (ex General Rufus Ingalls) | 1924 – 1928 | 128′ concrete hulled Army transport | |
USCGC | Pickering (ex BrigGen O.A. Allison) | 1924 – 1928 | 128′ concrete hulled Army transport | |
USCGC | Wayanda (ex Col William H. Baldwin) | 1924 – 1928 | 128′ concrete hulled Army transport | |
USCGC | Moccasin (ex Liberator) | 1924 – 1928 | 102′ wooden hulled freighter | |
USCGC | City Point | 1924 – 1928 | Wooden hulled barge |
Coast Guard Destroyer
Acquired from the Navy to enforce prohibition
Returned to Navy when prohibition repealed
Prohibition was known as the Destroyer Decade in the CG
6 Classes used:
Cassin
Paulding Model: Yes
O’Brien
Tucker
Sampson
Clemson Model: Yes
Designation | Name | Class | Class | Hull | Service | Comments | Pictures |
USCGC | Cassin | Cassin – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 1 | 1924 – 1933 | CGH NS |
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USCGC | Cummings | Cassin – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 3 | 1925 – 1932 | CGH NS |
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USCGC | Downes | Cassin – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 4 | 1924 – 1930 | CGH NS |
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USCGC | Ammen | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 8 | 1925 – 1931 | CGH NS |
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USCGC | Beale | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 9 | 1924 – 1930 | CGH | |
USCGC | Burrows | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 10 | 1925 – 1931 | NS | |
USCGC | Fanning | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 11 | 1925 – 1930 | CGH | |
USCGC | Henley | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 12 | 1924 – 1931 | NS | |
USCGC | Jouett | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 13 | 1924 – 1931 | CGH | |
USCGC | McCall | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 14 | 1925 – 1930 | CGH | |
USCGC | Monaghan | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 15 | 1925 – 1931 | CGH | |
USCGC | Patterson | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 16 | 1924 – 1930 | CGH NS |
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USCGC | Paulding | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 17 | 1925 – 1930 | CGH NS |
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USCGC | Roe | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 18 | 1925 – 1930 | CGH | |
USCGC | Terry | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 19 | 1925 – 1930 | CGH | |
USCGC | Trippe | Paulding – Flivver | CGD | 20 | 1924 – 1931 | CGH | |
USCGC | Ericsson | O’Brien – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 5 | 1925 – 1932 | CGH | |
USCGC | McDougal | O’Brien – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 6 | 1925 – 1933 | CGH | |
USCGC | Conyngham | Tucker – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 2 | 1925 – 1933 | CGH | |
USCGC | Porter | Tucker – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 7 | 1925 – 1933 | CGH | |
USCGC | Tucker | Tucker – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 23 | 1926 – 1933 | CGH | |
USCGC | Wainwright | Tucker – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 24 | 1926 – 1934 | CGH | |
USCGC | Davis | Sampson – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 21 | 1926 – 1933 | CGH | |
USCGC | Shaw | Sampson – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 22 | 1926 – 1933 | CGH | |
USCGC | Wilkes | Sampson – 1000 Tonner | CGD | 25 | 1926 – 1934 | CGH | |
UCGC | Abel P. Upsher | Clemson Flush decker/4 Stacker |
CGD | 15 | 1920 – 1931 | CGH | |
USCGC | George E. Badger | Clemson flush decker/4 Stacker |
CGD | 16 | 1931 – 1934 | CGH | |
USCGC | Herndon | Clemson Flush decker/4 Stacker |
CGD | 17 | 1931 – 1934 | CGH | |
USCGC | Hunt | Clemson Flush decker/4 Stacker |
CGD | 18 | 1931 – 1934 | CGH | |
USCGC | Welborn C. Wood | Clemson Flush decker/4 Stacker |
CGD | 19 | 1931 – 1934 | CGH | |
USCGC | Semmes | Clemson Flush decker/4 Stacker |
CGD | 20 | 1932 – 1934 | CGH |
Seized Rum Runner
The Coast Guard pressed seized “blacks” into service
They often were the only assets fast enough to catch other blacks”
Model: Yes
Designation | Name | Service | Comments | Pictures |
USCGC | Lincoln | 1926 – 1926 | Seized rumrunner Burned and sank while in CG service |
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USCGC | Virginia II 58′ (aka CG 801) |
1926 – 1931 | Seized rumrunner | |
USCGC | Reclaimer (later Dobbin) |
1927 – 1931 | Seized rumrunner | |
USCGC | Gaviota 48′ | 1927 – 1927 | Seized rum runner | |
USCGC | Eleanor 53′ | 1927 – 1934 | Seized rumrunner | |
USCGC | Moto Morovich 42 (aka AB 25) |
1928 – 1929 | Seized Rumrunner | |
USCGC | Caloba 49′ (aka CG 807) |
1929 – 1932 | Seized rumrunner | |
USCGC | Jackie 53′ (aka CG 902) |
1929 – 1931 | Seized rumrunner | |
USCGC | Black Duck 45′ (aka CG 808) |
CG | Seized rumrunner One of the fastest and most notorious |
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USCGC | Vinces 93′ (aka CG 821) |
1931 – Unk | Seized rumrunner | |
USCGC | Chase 137′ | 1934 – 1939 | Seized rumrunner |
125′ Active Class “Buck and a Quarters” Cruising Cutter Second Class
Part of a massive expansion by ADM Frederick Billard
Commissioned as Second Class Cruising Cutters without hull numbers
Hull numbers were assigned in 1939, reclassified as Subchasers
Numbers were assigned alphabetically, not by date of commission
Active was the lead ship and was assigned the lowest hull number
The 125s were officially referred to as the Active Class
Reclassified as Coastal Patrol Boats after the war
Reclassified as Medium Endurance Cutters in 1967
Morris was the last operational 125 – decommissioned in 1970
Cuyahoga was an OCS training cutter until 1978
Model: Yes
Designation | Name | Class | Hull | Service | Comments | Pictures |
USCGC | Active | WSC | 125 | 1927 – 1963 | ||
USCGC | Agassiz | WSC | 126 | 1927 – 1969 | CGH | |
USCGC | Alert | WSC | 127 | 1927 – 1969 | CGH | |
USCGC | Bedloe | WSC | 128 | 1927 – 1944 | Lost in storm | CGP |
USCGC | Bonham | WSC | 129 | 1926 – 1959 | ||
USCGC | Boutwell | WSC | 130 | 1927 – 1964 | ||
USCGC | Cahoone | WSC | 131 | 1927 – 1968 | CGH | |
USCGC | Cartigan | WSC | 132 | 1927 – 1968 | CGH | |
USCGC | Colfax | WSC | 133 | 1927 – 1954 | ||
USCGC | Crawford | WSC | 134 | 1927 – 1947 | ||
USCGC | Diligence | WSC | 135 | 1927 – 1961 | ||
USCGC | Dix | WSC | 136 | 1927 – 1948 | ||
USCGC | Ewing | WSC | 137 | 1927 – 1969 | ||
USCGC | Faunce | WSC | 138 | 1927 – 1948 | ||
USCGC | Frederick Lee | WSC | 139 | 1927 – 1964 | ||
USCGC | General Greene | WSC | 140 | 1927 – 1968 | Sold off – later seized by CG smuggling drugs | CGH CGP |
USCGC | Harriet Lane | WSC | 141 | 1927 – 1946 | ||
USCGC | Jackson | WSC | 142 | 1927 – 1944 | Lost in a storm | CGP |
USCGC | Kimball | WSC | 143 | 1927 – 1968 | ||
USCGC | Legare | WSC | 144 | 1927 – 1968 | ||
USCGC | Marion | WSC | 145 | 1927 – 1962 | ||
USCGC | McLane | WSC | 146 | 1927 – 1968 | Sank RO-32 on 9 July 1942 | |
USCGC | Morris | WSC | 147 | 1927 – 1970 | To Sea Scout Program | |
USCGC | Nemaha | WSC | 148 | 1927 – 1948 | ||
USCGC | Pulaski | WSC | 149 | 1927 – 1948 | ||
USCGC | Reliance | WSC | 150 | 1927 – 1947 | ||
USCGC | Rush | WSC | 151 | 1927 – 1947 | ||
USCGC | Tiger | WSC | 152 | 1927 – 1947 | CGH | |
USCGC | Travis | WSC | 153 | 1927 – 1962 | ||
USCGC | Vigilant | WSC | 154 | 1927 – 1956 | ||
USCGC | Woodbury | WSC | 155 | 1927 – 1946 | ||
USCGC | Yeaton | WSC | 156 | 1927 – 1969 | ||
USCGC | Cuyahoga | WSC WIX |
157 | 1927 – 1978 | Typical operations until 1957 1957 to 1959: OCS training cutter in New London 1959: Transferred to Yorktown as OCS training cutter 20 October 1978: Lost in collision with MV Santa Cruz II |
CGH |
USCGC | Electra | 1934 – 1936 | 1936 – Decommissioned 1936 – 1945 USS Potomac (AG-25) – President Roosevelt’s yacht 1945 – Decommissioned as CGC Electra 1946 – Maryland Tidewater Fisheries Commission 1960 – Privately owned 1980 – Seized as a drug runner Currently owned by the Potomac Association in Oakland |