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Treasury-class cutter

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Duanein 1968
Class overview
NameTreasury class
OperatorsUnited States Coast Guard
Succeeded byHamilton-class cutter
Completed7
Cancelled3
Lost1
Preserved
General characteristics
TypeCutter
Displacement2,216long tons(2,252 t; 2,482 short tons)
Length327 ft (99.67 m)o/a
Beam41 ft (12.50 m)
Draught12.5 ft (3.81 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × oil-fueled Babcock & Wilcox boilers
  • Westinghouse geared turbines
  • 2 shafts
  • 6,200 ihp (4,600 kW)
Speed20 knots (37.0 km/h; 23.0 mph)
Range12,300 nautical miles (22,780 km; 14,155 mi) at 11 knots (20.4 km/h; 12.7 mph)
Complement125
Armament
Aircraft carried1 xGrumman JF-2 DuckorCurtiss SOC-4

TheTreasury-class cutterwas a group of sevenhigh endurance cutterslaunched by theUnited States Coast Guardbetween 1936 and 1937. The class were called the "Treasury class" because they were each named for formerSecretaries of the Treasury.These ships were also collectively known as the"327's"as they were all 327 feet (100 m) in length.[1]The Treasury-class cutters proved versatile and long-lived warships. Most served the United States for over 40 years, including with distinction through World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

In the words of naval historian John M. Waters, Jr., they were their nation's "maritime workhorses. The 327s battled through the 'Bloody Winter' of 1942–43 in theNorth Atlantic,"with the ships fighting off and destroyingGermanU-boats,and rescuing survivors from torpedoed convoy ships. Roles of the 327s included serving as amphibious task forceflagshipsinWorld War II,pilot search and rescue (SAR) during theKorean War,and a critical component ofOperation Market Timeduring theVietnam War."Most recently, these ships-that-wouldn't-die have done duty infisheriespatrol and drug interdiction. Built for only $2.5 million each, in terms of cost effectiveness we may never see the likes of these cutters again. "[2]

Commencing in the late 1970s the Treasury-class cutters were gradually replaced or their duties taken over by newer and largerHamilton-class378-foot (115 m) high endurance cutters.

Design and construction

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The 327s were designed to meet changing missions of the service as it emerged from theProhibition era.Because the air passenger trade was expanding both at home and overseas, the Coast Guard believed that cutter-based aircraft would be essential for future high-seas search and rescue. Also, during the mid-1930s,narcoticssmuggling,mostlyopium,was on the increase, and long-legged, fairly fast cutters were needed to curtail it. The Treasury class were an attempt to develop a 20-knot (37 km/h) cutter capable of carrying an airplane in a hangar.

The final 327-foot (100 m) design was based on theErie-classUS Navygunboats; the machinery plant and hull below the waterline were identical. This standardization would save money—always paramount in the Coast Guard's mind, as the cutters were built in U.S. Navy shipbuilding yards. Thirty-two preliminary designs based upon the Erie class were drawn up before one was finally selected. The healthy sheer forward and the high slope in the deck in the wardrooms was known as the"Hunnewell Hump."Commander (Constructor) F. G. Hunnewell, USCG, was the head of the Construction and Repair Department at that time.

The seven Treasury-class Coast Guard Cutters were:[1]

Displacing 2,350 tons with a 12-foot (3.7 m) draft, these ships had a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h). They had crews of between 120 and 230 depending on whether they were serving in peace or wartime. The ships were originally built with two open centerline5 "/51 caliber gunmounts forward, and carried either a singleGrumman JF-2 DuckorCurtiss SOC-4aft. Various arrangements of3 "/50and 5 "/51 guns anddepth chargethrowers were installed aft when the planes were removed in 1940–41.[3][11]Postwar armament typically includedhedgehogand an enclosed5 "/38 caliber gunmount forward andMK 32 torpedo tube systemstubes aft.[12]

World War II service

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The 327s were also known for their high "Kill Rate" during World War II.Campbelldemonstrated Treasury-classanti-submarine warfaresuitability escorting convoy HX 159 in November 1941.[13]With a kill rate of 0.57 per ship, the Treasury class were the most successful American anti-submarinewarships.(US Navy Destroyer Escorts had a kill rate of 0.1) Treasury-class cutters served as leaders ofMid-Ocean Escort Forcegroup A3 during the winter of 1942–43.[14]

  • Inghamescorted westbound convoy ONS 92.[15]
  • CampbellandInghamescorted eastbound HX 190.[16]
  • Campbell,InghamandDuaneescorted westbound ONS 102.[17]
  • Spencerescorted eastbound SC 95 and westbound ON 125.
  • CampbellandSpencerescorted eastbound SC 100 and westbound ON 135.
  • Campbellescorted eastbound HX 212 and westbound ON 145.
  • Spencerescorted eastbound SC 111 and westbound ONS 156.
  • CampbellandSpencerescorted eastbound HX 223 and westboundConvoy ON 166.
  • Spencerescorted eastboundConvoy SC 121and westbound ON 175.
  • SpencerandDuaneescorted the final A3 convoy HX 233 eastbound.[18][19]

BibbandInghamparticipated in the battles ofConvoy SC 118andConvoy SC 121.[20]

Taneyserved in the Pacific and was uniquely armed with four enclosed 5 "/38 gun mounts in centerline positions where theErie-class gunboats mounted 6 "/47 guns.[21]The six surviving cutters were converted to amphibious force flagships towards the end of World War II.Taneyalso has the distinction of being one of only two military vessels still afloat that was present during the Pearl Harbor attack, 7 December 1941.

Fate

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USCGCTaneyat Honolulu in 1958

With the exception ofHamilton,which was torpedoed and sunk 10 miles (16 km) off Iceland 29 January 1942, all of the Treasury-class ships led very long lives.[22]BibbandDuanewere sunk asartificial reefsoff the coast ofFloridain 1987.Campbellwas sunk by the US Navy in a training exercise on 29 November 1984.Spencerwas sold 8 October 1981 for scrap.Taneyis currently amuseum shipat theBaltimore Maritime Museum,inBaltimore, Maryland,andInghamis part of the Key West Maritime Museum inKey West,Florida.

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^abSilverstone 1968 p.373
  2. ^Waters 1967
  3. ^abcdefghFahey 1942 p.56
  4. ^"Bibb, 1937".U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fact Sheets.United States Coast Guard.Retrieved17 September2022.
  5. ^"Campbell, 1936".U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fact Sheets.United States Coast Guard.Retrieved17 September2022.
  6. ^"Duane, 1936 (WHEC-33)".U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fact Sheets.United States Coast Guard.Retrieved17 September2022.
  7. ^"USCG Hamilton"(PDF).U.S. Coast Guard Cutter History.United States CoastGuard.Archived(PDF)from the original on 30 April 2017.Retrieved12 December2012.
  8. ^"Ingham, 1936".U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fact Sheets.United States Coast Guard.Retrieved17 September2022.
  9. ^"Spencer, 1937 (WPG/WHEC 36)".U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fact Sheets.United States Coast Guard.Retrieved2 May2022.
  10. ^"Taney, 1936".U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fact Sheets.United States Coast Guard.Retrieved2 May2022.
  11. ^Silverstone 1968 p.369
  12. ^Albrecht 1969 p.178
  13. ^Morison 1975 pp.108-109
  14. ^Milner 1985 pp.290-291
  15. ^Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.139
  16. ^Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.136
  17. ^Morison 1975 p.305
  18. ^Rohwer & Hummelchen 1992 p.207
  19. ^Morison 1975 p.344
  20. ^Morison 1975 pp.334-335&343
  21. ^Silverstone 1968 p.370
  22. ^Morison 1975 p.109

Bibliography

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  • Albrecht, Gerhard (1969).Weyer's Warships of the World, 1969.United States Naval Institute.
  • Fahey, James C.(1942).The Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet, Two-Ocean Fleet Edition.Ships and Aircraft.
  • Milner, Marc (1985).North Atlantic Run.Naval Institute Press.ISBN0-87021-450-0.
  • Morison, Samuel Eliot (1975).History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume I The Battle of the Atlantic 1939–1943.Little, Brown and Company.
  • Rohwer, J. & Hummelchen, G. (1992).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945.Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-105-X.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1968).U.S. Warships of World War II.Doubleday and Company.
  • Waters, John M. Jr. (1967).Bloody Winter.D. Van Nostrand Company.
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