Return to White Hulls

Medium Endurance Cutters

The Coast Guard decommissioned many of its older cutters within 2 years after the war
Several ships came from the Navy in 1946, but only 2 205′ Fleet Tugs and 2 213′ Rescue Vessels remained in service in 1947
Ocean Weather Stations became prominent in the 1950s to support the fast growing transoceanic commercial aviation industry
Budget constraints allowed only 1 patrol boat and 2 inland tender classes to be commissioned before the 1960s
The Coast Guard relied on ships the Navy was decommissioning to fill the ranks
These Navy ships were newer than the old Cutters they were replacing
The Coast Guard also acquired Eagle in 1946
The Coast Guard acquired 12 Edsall-Class DEs to man OWS during the Korean War
CGC Courier performed a special mission for many years in the 50s and 60s
The budget strings loosened in the 1960s and 9 new classes were commissioned
The 1970s brought surface effect ships into the Fleet
The 1980s brought 2 new white hulls (the first in 20 years) and a new class of tugs

125 Active Class “Buck and a Quarters”
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 WPC 125 1927 – 1963
USCGC Agassiz WPC/WMEC 126 1927 – 1969 CGH
USCGC Alert WPC/WMEC 127 1927 – 1969 CGH
USCGC Bedloe WPC 128 1927 – 1944 Lost in storm CGP
USCGC Bonham WPC 129 1926 – 1959
USCGC Boutwell WPC 130 1927 – 1964
USCGC Cahoone WPC/WMEC 131 1927 – 1968 CGH
USCGC Cartigan WPC/WMEC 132 1927 – 1968 CGH
USCGC Colfax WPC 133 1927 – 1954
USCGC Crawford WPC 134 1927 – 1947
USCGC Diligence WPC 135 1927 – 1961
USCGC Dix WPC 136 1927 – 1948
USCGC Ewing WPC/WMEC 137 1927 – 1969
USCGC Faunce WPC 138 1927 – 1948
USCGC Frederick Lee WPC 139 1927 – 1964
USCGC General Greene WPC/WMEC 140 1927 – 1968 Sold off – later seized by CG smuggling drugs CGH
CGP
USCGC Harriet Lane WPC 141 1927 – 1946
USCGC Jackson WPC 142 1927 – 1944 Lost in a storm CGP
USCGC Kimball WPC/WMEC 143 1927 – 1968
USCGC Legare WPC/WMEC 144 1927 – 1968
USCGC Marion WPC 145 1927 – 1962
USCGC McLane WPC 146 1927 – 1968 Sank RO-32 on 9 July 1942
USCGC Morris WPC 147 1927 – 1970 To Sea Scout Program
USCGC Nemaha WPC 148 1927 – 1948
USCGC Pulaski WPC 149 1927 – 1948
USCGC Reliance WPC 150 1927 – 1947
USCGC Rush WPC 151 1927 – 1947
USCGC Tiger WPC 152 1927 – 1947 CGH
USCGC Travis WPC 153 1927 – 1962
USCGC Vigilant WPC 154 1927 – 1956
USCGC Woodbury WPC 155 1927 – 1946
USCGC Yeaton WPC/WMEC 156 1927 – 1969
USCGC Cuyahoga WPC/WMEC 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

165’A Algonquin Class Patrol Gunboat
Part of a massive expansion by Commandant ADM Frederick Billard
Based on the Tallapoosa design
Designed with a cutaway forefoot for light (up to 2′) icebreaking
Commissioned as First Class Cruising Cutters without hull numbers
Hull numbers were assigned in 1939 and reclassified Patrol Gunboats
Numbers were assigned alphabetically, not by date of commission
Escanaba was lead ship, but Algonquin was assigned lowest number
The 165As were officially referred to as Algonquin Class
Tahoma was decommissioned in 1953
Model: Yes

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Algonquin WPG 75 1934 – 1948 CGH
USCGC Comanche WPG 76 1934 – 1947 CGH
USCGC Mohawk WPG 78 1935 – 1948 To Delaware Bay and River Pilots Assoc
to Miami Dade Historical Museum
CGH
USCGC Onondaga WPG 79 1934 – 1947
USCGC Tahoma WPG 80 1934 – 1953 CGH

165’B Thetis 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 Coastal Patrol Boats
Numbers were assigned alphabetically, not by date of commission
Thetis was the lead ship, but Argo was assigned the lowest hull number
The 165Bs were officially referred to as the Thetis Class
Ariadne was decommissioned in 1967
Model: No

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Argo WPC 100 1933 – 1948 CGH
USCGC Ariadne WPC/WMEC 101 1934 – 1969 Wiki
USCGC Atalanta WPC 102 1934 – 1950
USCGC Aurora WPC/WMEC 103 1931 – 1968 CGH
USCGC Calypso WPC 104 1942 – 1947 Link
USCGC Cyane WPC 105 1934 – 1950 CGH
USCGC Daphne WPC 106 1934 – 1946
USCGC Dione WPC 107 1934 – 1963 CGH
USCGC Galatea WPC 108 1933 – 1948
USCGC Hermes WPC 109 1932 – 1948
USCGC Icarus WPC 110 1932 – 1946 Sank U-352 – To Dominican Republic CGH
USCGC Nemesis WPC 111 1934 – 1964 Wiki
USCGC Nike WPC 112 1934 – 1964
USCGC Pandora WPC 113 1934 – 1959
USCGC Perseus WPC 114 1932 – 1959
USCGC Thetis WPC 115 1931 – 1947 Sank U-157
USCGC Triton WPC/WMEC 116 1934 – 1967
USCGC Electra WPC 187 1934 – 1936 1936 – Decommissioned
1936 – 1945 USS Potomac (AG-25) – President Roosevelt’s yacht
1945 – Recommissioned 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
NS
CGP

230′ Storis Class
Built as a supply cutter for the Greenland patrol
Basically a stretched 180′ buoy tender with an Duck on the fantail
Stationed in Boston after the war
1 July 1957 Set out with CGCs Spar and Bramble to find
a deep water channel through the Arctic Ocean
This transit ended the 450 year search for the Northwest Passage
Returned to Greenland via the passage and then transited to Alaska
via the Panama Canal becoming the first cutter to
circumnavigate the North American Continent
Performed ice breaking duty until 1972
Converted to Medium Endurance Cutter
Decommissioned in 2007
Known as the Galloping Coast of the Alaskan Coast
Queen of the Fleet 1991 to 2007
Model: No

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Storis WAGB/WAGO/WMEC 38 1942 – 2007 CGH

180′ Cactus Class
Model: Yes

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Picture
USCGC Evergreen WAGL/WLB
WAGO/WMEC
295 1943 – 1990 1943: Commissioned as an Auxiliary Buoy Tender
1967: Redesignated as a Large Buoy Tender
1975: Redesignated as an Oceanographic Research Vessel
1986: Redesignated as a Medium Endurance Cutter
CGH

205′ Navajo Class
Acquired from the Navy to replace retiring 125s and 165s
Originally classified as Fleet Tugs
Some retained their navy name and hull numbers
Others were renamed and/or renumbered
Known only as 205s – no other class designation
Reclassified as Medium Endurance Cutters in 1967
Tamaroa was decommissioned in 1994
Model: Yes

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Cherokee
(ex USS Cherokee AT/ATF 66)
WAT/WMEC 165 1946 – 1990 NS
USCGC Tamaroa
(ex USS Zuni AT/ATF 95)
WAT/WMEC 166 1946 – 1994 Commissioned in 1943 as USS Zuni
Acquired by the Coast Guard in 1946
Served in NY until 1985, then in New Castle, NH
14 March 1963 – Became the first Coast Guard submarine
In drydock when disgruntled crewman opened the seacocks
sinking both the drydock and the Tam
Most famous for participating in the
“No Name Storm of Halloween 1991”
Made famous by the book and movie Perfect Storm
The cutter in the movie was digital
The producers chose to depict Tam as a sleek new cutter
with a flight deck even though she was a matronly old tug boat
The last of the post-war Navy acquisitions to de decommissioned
Currently a museum ship in Richmond, VA
CGH
USCGC Avoyel WAT/WMEC 150 1956 – 1969 NS
USCGC Chilula WAT/WMEC 153 1956 – 1991 NS
USCGC Lipan WMEC 85 1980 – 1988 Wiki
USCGC Ute WMEC 76 1980 – 1988 NS

213′ Diver Class
Acquired from the Navy to replace retiring 125s and 165s
Originally classified as Fleet Tugs
Some retained their navy name and hull numbers
Others were renamed and/or renumbered
Known only as 213s – no other class designation
Reclassified Medium Endurance Cutters in 1967
Acushnet was decommissioned in 2011
Model: Yes

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Acushnet
(ex USS Shackle ARS 9)
WAT/WMEC 167 1946 – 2012 Commissioned in 1944 as USS Shackle (ARS 9)
Transferred to the Coast Guard in 1946
Served in Boston
Took part in the Two Tankers Rescue in 1952
and on International Ice Patrol cruises
1968 to 1971: Oceanographic Research Cutter (WAGO)
Attached to Office of Naval Research
and Scripps Oceanographic Institute
as part of the NOAA National Data Buoy Project
Became known as NOAA’s Ark
1978: designated a Medium Endurance Cutter
1990: transferred to Eureka, CA and operated in Alaskan waters
1998: Transferred to Ketchikan, AK
Queen of the Fleet from 2007 to 2011
CGH
USCGC Yocona
(ex USS Seize ARS 26)
/WAT/WMEC 168 1946 – 1996 CGH
NS
USCGC Escape WMEC 6 1980 – 1988 CGH
NS

143 Sotoyomo Class
Acquired from the Navy to replace retiring 125s and 165s
Originally classified as Fleet Tugs
Some retained their navy name and hull numbers
Others were renamed and/or renumbered
Known only as 143s – no other class designation
Reclassified as Medium Endurance Cutters in 1967
Comanche was decommissioned in 1980
Model: Yes

Designation Name Classn Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Comanche
(ex USS Wampanoag ATA 202)
WATA/WMEC 202 1959 – 1980 Wiki
USCGC Modoc
(ex USS Bagaduce ATR 121)
WATA/WMEC 194 1959 – 1979 Pearl Modoc – B&B in Gig Harbor WA CGH

210′ Reliance Class
Commissioned as Coastal Patrol Boats
With the 378s, first new CG built capital ship since 1936
The 210s were officially referred to as the Reliance Class
Reclassified as Medium Endurance Cutters in 1967
Will be replaced by the National Security Cutter, Medium
Model: Yes

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Reliance WPC/WMEC 615 1964 – Active CGP
USCGC Diligence WPC/WMEC 616 1946 – Active CGH
CGP
USCGC Vigilant WPC/WMEC 617 1964 – Active CGH
CGP
USCGC Active WPC/WMEC 618 1965 – Active CGH
CGP
USCGC Confidence WPC/WMEC 619 1966 – Active CGH
CGP
USCGC Resolute WPC/WMEC 620 1966 – Active CGH
CGP
USCGC Valiant WPC/WMEC 621 1967 – Active CGH
USCGC Courageous WPC/WMEC 622 1968 – Active
USCGC Steadfast WPC/WMEC 623 1968 – Active CGH
USCGC Dauntless WPC/WMEC 624 1968 – Active CGH
CGP
USCGC Venturous WPC/WMEC 625 1968 – Active CGH
USCGC Dependable WPC/WMEC 626 1968 – Active CGH
USCGC Vigorous WPC/WMEC 627 1969 – Active CGH
USCGC Durable WPC/WMEC 628 1968 – Active
USCGC Decisive WPC/WMEC 629 1968 – Active CGH
USCGC Alert WPC/WMEC 630 1969 – Active CGH
CGP

270 Famous Class Medium Endurance Cutter
Designed to replace the 327s
Commissioned as Medium Endurance Cutters
Named for famous cutters of the past
The 270s are officially referred to as the Famous Class
Will remain in service for the foreseeable future
Model: Yes

Designation Name Class Hull Service Comments Pictures
USCGC Bear WMEC 901 1983 – Active CGH
USCGC Tampa WMEC 902 1984 – Active CGH
USCGC Harriet Lane WMEC 903 1984 – Active CGH
CGH
USCGC Northland WMEC 904 1984 – Active
USCGC Spencer WMEC 905 1986 – Active CGH
USCGC Seneca WMEC 906 1987 – Active CGH
USCGC Escanaba WMEC 907 1987 – Active
USCGC Tahoma WMEC 908 1988 – Active CGH
USCGC Campbell WMEC 909 1988 – Active CGH
USCGC Thetis WMEC 910 1989 – Active
USCGC Forward WMEC 911 1990 – Active CGH
USCGC Legare WMEC 912 1990 – Active CGH
USCGC Mohawk WMEC 913 1991 – Active CGH