The ''Active''-class patrol boat was one of the most useful and long-lasting classes of

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

cutters Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Side cutter * Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...

. Of the 35 built in the 1920s, 16 were still in service during the 1960s. The last to be decommissioned from active service was the in 1970; the last in actual service was the , which sank after an accidental collision in 1978.

Design and construction

The ''Active''-class was designed for trailing the "mother ships" along the outer line of patrol during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. They were constructed at a cost of $63,173

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

each ($979,038.74 in 2021 rates). They gained a reputation for durability that was only enhanced by their re-engined in the late 1930s; their original 6-cylinder Winton 114-6 diesels were replaced by significantly more powerful 8-cylinder units that used the original engine beds and gave the vessels an additional 3 knots. They were meant to be able to stay at sea for long periods of time in any kind of weather, and were able to expand berthing space via

hammock A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swing (seat), swinging, sleeping, or Human relaxation, resting. It normally consists of one ...

s if the need arises, such as if a large number of survivors were on board. Each ship was 125 feet 8.1 mlong, 23 feet 6 inches

.1 m Tenth may refer to: Numbers * 10th, the ordinal form of the number ten * One tenth, , or 0.1, a fraction, one part of a unit divided equally into ten parts. ** the SI prefix deci- ** tithe, a one-tenth part of something * 1/10 of any unit of me ...

wide, and had a draft of 7 feet 6 inches

Equipment

At launch, each cutter was fitted with a Winton Model 109

air compressor An air compressor is a pneumatic device that converts power (using an electric motor, diesel or gasoline engine, etc.) into potential energy stored in pressurized air (i.e., compressed air). By one of several methods, an air compressor forces ...

and Model 99 oil pump. A

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

fire suppression system Fire suppression systems are used to extinguish, control, or in some cases, entirely prevent fires from spreading or occurring. Fire suppression systems have an incredibly large variety of applications, and as such, there are many different types ...

was built by the Kidde Company, which in addition to water hoses powered by a seven and a half

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

s composed the ships' fire suppression. A 8,00-watt, 32 volt generator by the Hill Diesel Engine Company of

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

was driven by a 12 horsepower

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

which provided ship wide power.

History

All the ships served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, however the and were lost in a storm in 1944. USCGC '' McLane'' is credited with the sinking of the inactive IJN submarine ''Ro-32''. Ten were refitted as

buoy tender A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. This term can also apply to an actual person who does this work. The United States Coast Guard uses buoy tenders to accomplish one of its primary missions of main ...

s between 1941 and 1942 and reverted to patrol work afterward. Originally designated WPC, (Coast Guard patrol craft), they were re-designated WSC, for Coast Guard

sub chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

, in February 1942. The "W" appended to the SC (Sub Chaser) designation identified vessels as belonging to the U.S. Coast Guard. Those remaining in service in May 1966 were re-designated as medium endurance cutters, or WMEC. The ships were informally nicknamed "Buck & a Quarters" in reference to their length, 100 feet (a

buck Buck may refer to: Common meanings * A colloquialism for a dollar or similar currency * An adult male in some animal species - see List of animal names * Derby shoes, nicknamed "bucks" for the common use of buckskin in their making People *Buck ...

, or $1.00) plus an additional 25 (A

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement i ...

, or 25 cents).

Notable events

1944 sinking of ''Jackson'' and ''Bedloe''

On 14 September 1944, USCGC ''Jackson'' (WSC-142) was instructed to rendezvous with the cutter USCGC ''Bedloe'' (WSC-128) and the tug USS ''Escape'' (ARS-6) to assist in the towing of the

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

SS ''George Ade'' which had been

torpedoe A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

d by the German submarine ''U-518'' and driven ashore in a storm. After arriving in the area near the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

, weather conditions quickly deteriorated to hurricane conditions throughout the morning. Known as the Great Hurricane of 1944, the storm reportedly brought waves up to 100–125 feet (30–38 m) and 50-mile-per-hour winds. The ships were repeatedly thrown from the top of swells into the wave trough, causing heavy listing and impacting maneuverability and communications. At 10:30 AM ''Jackson'' capsized followed by ''Bedloe'' at 1:30. 37 crew members from ''Jackson'' and all 38 from ''Bedloe'' successfully made it off their ships, yet only 30 from ''Bedloe'' gained a hold on life rafts. High winds, waves, and sea pests hampered survival efforts as lifeboats were flipped and survivors scattered. The crews of both cutters believed they would be saved by the other, not knowing both ships had sunk. The lifeboats of ''Bedloe'' were spotted 51 hours after sinking and the ''Jackson's'' was seen 58 hours later. The rafts were spotted by a Coast Guard aircraft operating from

Elizabeth City Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It is the cultural, economic and educ ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Rescue aircraft began landing along with the crew members as the United States Navy

blimp A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure of the lifting gas (usually helium, rather than hydr ...

s dropped emergency food and coordinated a rescue. A third 38-foot cutter from Oregon Inlet Lifeboat Station picked up survivors to be transferred to a navy

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

before being hospitalized at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. 26 crew members from ''Bedloe'' and an additional 21 from ''Jackson'' died during the ordeal. The original mission, to tow ''George Ade'' into port, succeeded in the sense that the ship suffered minimal damage and no casualties.

1978 sinking of ''Cuyahoga''

On 20 October 1978 USCGC ''Cuyahoga'' (WIX-157) was underway in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

to train officer cadets with intentions to turn into port for the night. The cutter was the oldest in-service ship in the Coast Guard's fleet and had fallen into a state of disrepair from lack of maintenance. Natural low light levels made navigation harder with ships relying on signal lights for identification. The ''Cuyahoga'' was planning to turn into port when the lights of

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

bulk cargo vessel '' M/V Santa Cruz II'' were spotted. The captain of the cutter considered the lights displayed to be that of a small fishing boat and failed to alter plans. This belief was further aided by the

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

showing a small contact at range. The captain of ''Santa Cruz II'' believed the cutter would continue on course, allowing them to pass parallel to each other without incident. ''Cuyahoga'' believed the assumed smaller sailboat would see the large cutter turn and change course accordingly and committed to the plan. The ''Santa Cruz II'' sounded a whistle to notify that it would be the cutter's duty to maneuver out of a collision, yet received no response. It was only when a collision was inevitable that both captains realized the situation as a whole and attempted to respond. The ''Santa Cruz II'' sounded horns and signals, ordering all engines reversed and hard port while the cutter attempted to reverse. The two ships were too close to allow for any meaningful action. The bow of ''Santa Cruz II'' penetrated the starboard corner of the cutter's wheelhouse, cutting a three-foot hole in the hull as it moved aft at 2107 local time. A one-foot high by two-foot wide hole opened four feet below the waterline which doomed the ship. The shock caused the ''Cuyahoga'' to tip 50 degrees to one side, throwing men and equipment overboard. Survivors were able to gain a hold on the 14 foot .2 mutility boat which had broken off and risen to the surface. The ship sank in 2 minutes, killing 11 of 29 crew members. The surviving 18 sailors were rescued by the ''Santa Cruz II''. An official investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard blamed the collision on ''Cuyahogas captain for his failure to correctly identify signal lights of the oncoming vessel and ensuing decision to turn into a path for collision as the reason.

2021 sinking of ''Alert''

It has been reported that the former USCGC ''Alert'' (WMEC-127) sank on 1 November 2021 west of the I5 Bridge in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in the Colombia River after being moored off

Hayden Island Hayden Island is an island in the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The wide main channel of the Columbia (and the Washington–Oregon state line) passes north of the island. To the south, sheltered by the islan ...

. The ship fell into disrepair after a homeless encampment moved onboard, hampering hopes for

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

. The homeless groups and dock were removed December 2020, although officials had no long term plan for the ship as potential costs were too high. The vessel was heavily damaged by graffiti and stripped parts. Although not fully sunk, a light on top of the

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can be seen in images as the ship rests in mud. No cause of sinking has been announced.

Ships preserved

* USCGC ''McLane'' is preserved at the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum in

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expa ...

. * USCGC ''Morris'' is preserved at the Liberty Maritime Museum in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

Ship naming

Each ''Active''-class boat adopted the names of either officers or former cutters of the US Revenue Cutter Service, a predecessor of the Coast Guard. Several names were new for the time, while a name such as the ''Alert'' has been on the sides of six cutters by 1927. Most of the former cutters the boats were named after carried the name of a

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Ships in class

Gallery

File:Cahoone WSC-131.jpg, File:26-G-5249 USCGC Faunce (WPC-138).jpg, in World War II camouflage File:Cuyahoga 1974.jpg, File:Agassiz (WSC-126).png, USCGC ''Agassiz'' in 1957 at

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay fro ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. File:USCGC Bedloe.jpg, Cutter USCGC ''Antidam'', later ''Bedloe'' (WSC-128). Date and location unknown File:Jackson ONI.jpg, The US Office of Naval Intelligence recognition image for the ''Active''-class cutter during 1943. File:USCGC Jackson (WPC-142).jpg, USCGC ''Jackson'' on 31 March 1927 on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

File:NH 57712 USCGC Active.jpg, USCGC ''Active'' (WPC-125) participating in line-carrying experiments by aviation unit from Base 7,

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

File:Active class USCG.jpg, Model of an ''Active''-class cutter in its post World War II configuration

Footnotes

The ten Actives used as buoy tenders were ''Active'' (WPC-125), ''Colfax'' (WPC-133), ''Crawford'' (WPC-134), ''Ewing'' (WPC-137), ''Harriet Lane'' (WPC-141), ''Legare'' (WPC-144), ''McLane'' (WPC-146), ''Vigilant'' (WPC-154), ''Diligence'' (WPC-135), and ''Woodbury'' (WPC-155).

References

Notes

Bibliography

Books

*Canney, Donald L. ''U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue cutters, 1790-1935''. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 1995. Print. *Galecki, Bryan. ''Rum runners, U-boats, and hurricanes : the complete history of the Coast Guard cutters Bedloe and Jackson''. Wilmington, N.C: Pine Belt Pub, 2005. Print. *Gardiner, Robert, Przemysław Budzbon, and Robert Chesneau. ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946''. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 1984. Print. *Shomette, Donald G. ''Shipwrecks on the Chesapeake : maritime disasters on Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, 1608-1978''. Centreville, Md: Tidewater Publishers, 1982. Print.

Journals

* * *

Websites

*"Active, 1927 (WSC 125)". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 27 November 2021. *"WPC125 Active Cutters (1927)". Retrieved 1 January 2012. *"USCG Transports & Escorts: USS McLane (WSC-146)". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved 9 December 2021. *"USCGC Jackson , Monitor National Marine Sanctuary". monitor.noaa.gov. Retrieved 16 November 2021. *"USCGC McLane (WSC-146)". museumships.us. Retrieved 23 June 2019. *"U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Morris". libertymaritime.com. Retrieved 29 December 2019. *"Bedloe, 1927 (WSC 128)". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 15 November 2021. *"PACIFIC HUNTER". ShipSpotting. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2021. *"Tour the Sea Scout ship , The News-Ledger". www.westsac.com. Retrieved 11 October 2021. *"RUSH (WSC-151) - Historical Collections of the Great Lakes". greatlakes.bgsu.edu. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
USCGC ''Cahoone'' (1927)
at US Coast Guard Historian, which cites: ** Cutter History File. USCG Historian's Office, USCG HQ, Washington, D.C. **

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' (''DANFS'') is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy. When the writing project was developed the parameters for this series were designed to ...

. Washington, DC: USGPO. ** Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1982. ** Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946–1990. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990. ** Rum Runners, U-Boats and Hurricanes: The Complete History of the Coast Guard Cutter Bedloe and Jackson. ** Brian Galecki, , Publisher: Pine Belt Publishing, Publication date:12/19/2005

Documents

The Coast Guard at War Lost Cutters VIII. Public Information Division, US Coast Guard Headquarters. 1947. p. 15.

News

Oregon has no timeline for removing abandoned military vessels on Columbia River
. kgw.com. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021. Newsroom Staff (3 November 2021)
"Abandoned former Coast Guard vessel sinks in Columbia River, costing taxpayers"
KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2. Retrieved 15 November 2021. Wong, Lui Kit (16 March 2018).

. The News Tribune. Retrieved 15 November 2021. English, Joseph (17 December 2020). "Crews clear 'Pirates of the Columbia' encampment". KATU. Retrieved 15 November 2021. {{Active class patrol boat Brown, Boveri & Cie