When war broke out the Coast Guard grew rapidly,
both in responsibilities and in personnel to carry them out
11 new classes of Cutters were commissioned – mostly black hulls and mostly inland tenders
The Coast Guard manned hundreds of ships and landing craft for the Navy and Army
The Coast Guard acquired a number of civilian vessels for coastal patrol
327′ Secretary/Treasury Class
Acquired by Commandant Russell Waesche
Designed to provide support for commercial transoceanic flights
Commissioned as First Class Cruising Cutters without hull numbers
Hull numbers were assigned in 1939, reclassified as Patrol Gunboats
Numbers were assigned alphabetically, not by date of commission
Hamilton was lead ship, but Bibb was assigned the lowest hull number
The 327s are officially referred to as the Secretary, Treasury or Hamilton Class
In WWII they were first used as convoy escorts in the Atlantic
Taney fought in the Pacific and then in the Med
Taney was upgunned with 4 5″/38s for anti-air warfare in the Med
In 1945 they were converted to amphibious command ships
After the war they were reclassified back to Patrol Gunboats
Performed OWS duty after the war
All served in Vietnam
Reclassified High Endurance Cutters in 1967
Ingham was decommissioned in 1989
Model: Yes
| Designation | Name | Class | Hull | Service | Comments | Pictures |
| USCGC | Bibb (former George M. Bibb) |
WPG WAGC |
31 | 1937 – 1985 | Built in Philadelphia and stationed in Norfolk 1939: Neutrality/Greenland/OWS Patrols Convoy duty and amphibious command ship in WWII Typical post-war duties – OWS 14 October 1947: Ocean Station Charlie off Greenland Bermuda Sky Queen, a Boeing 314 Flying Boat, was forced to ditch late at night 30 foot waves prevented a rescue attempt until the next morning All 62 passengers safely evacuated on 15 October Unable to safely tow the aircraft, Bibb sank it with gunfire Deployed to Vietnam Sunk as a reef off Florida |
CGH |
| USCGC | Campbell (former George W. Campbell) |
WPG WAGC |
32 | 1936 – 1982 | Built in Philadelphia and stationed in Stapleton, New York 2 October 1939: performed the first Neutrality Patrol 1941: used as a test bed to see if 327s could serve as convoy escorts Convoy duty and amphibious command ship in WWII 22 February 1943: Rammed and sank U-606 Typical post-war duties – OWS Deployed to Vietnam Crowned as first official Queen of the Fleet in mid 1970s Sunk as a reef off Hawaii |
CGH |
| USCGC | Duane (former William J. Duane) |
WPG WAGC |
33 | 1936 – 1985 | Built in Philadelphia and stationed in Oakland 1939: Neutrality/Greenland/OWS Patrols Convoy duty and amphibious command ship in WWII 17 April 1943: assisted CGC Spencer in sinking U-175 Typical post-war duties – OWS Deployed to Vietnam Queen of the Fleet from 1982 to 1985 Sunk as an artificial reef off Key Largo, Florida |
CGH |
| USCGC | Alexander Hamilton | WPG | 34 | 1936 – 1942 | Built in Philadelphia and stationed in Oakland Bering Sea Patrol 1939: Neutrality/Greenland/OWS Patrols Convoy duty in WWII 29 January 1942: sunk by U-132 25 crewmen killed |
CGH |
| USCGC | Ingham (former Samuel D. Ingham) |
WPG WAGC |
35 | 1936 – 1988 | Built in Philadelphia and stationed in Port Angeles, Washington 1939: Neutrality/Greenland/OWS patrols Convoy duty and amphibious command ship in WWII 17 December 1942: sank U-626 Typical post-war duties – OWS Deployed to Vietnam Queen of the Fleet from 1985 to 1988 Retired as the most decorated cutter in the Coast Guard Fleet Only cutter to be awarded two Presidential Unit Citations Currently centerpiece of the Ingham Memorial Museum in Key West, Florida |
CGH |
| USCGC | Spencer (former John C. Spencer) |
WPG WAGC |
36 | 1937 – 1980 | Built in Philadelphia and stationed in Cordova, Alaska 1939: Neutrality/Greenland/OWS Patrols Convoy duty and amphibious command ship in WWII 21 February 1943: Sank either U-225 or (more likely) U-529 Typical post-war duties – OWS Deployed to Vietnam First of the 327s to be decommissioned in 1974 Served as an Engineering Training School until scrapped in 1980 |
CGH |
| USCGC | Taney (former Roger B. Taney) |
WPG WAGC |
37 | 1936 – 1986 | Built in Philadelphia and stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii One of the first ships to return fire during the 7 December 1941 attack Defended the Honolulu Power Plant The only 327 not deployed in the North Atlantic convoy run Patrolled in the Pacific until 1943 1943: The only 327 to mount 4 5″/38 guns Joined the Mediterranean convoy run Typical post-war duties – OWS Deployed to both Korea and Vietnam 1977: Last Coast Guard Cutter on OWS when Station Hotel was discontinued Decommissioned on 7 December 1986 Museum ship in Baltimore |
CGH |