USCGC ''Winona'' (WHEC-65) was an ''Owasco'' class high endurance cutter built for World War II service with the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

. The war ended before the ship was completed and consequently she did not see wartime service until the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. ''Winona'' was built by

Western Pipe & Steel The Western Pipe and Steel Company (WPS) was an American manufacturing company that is best remembered today for its construction of ships for the Maritime Commission in World War II. It also built ships for the U.S. Shipping Board in World War ...

at the company's San Pedro shipyard. Named after

Winona Lake Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the major suburb of Warsaw. Its population was 4,908 at the 2010 census. Geography Winona Lake is now contiguous to Warsaw, the two towns having merged ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, she was commissioned as a patrol gunboat with ID number WPG-65 on 19 April 1946. Her ID was later changed to WHEC-65 (HEC for "High Endurance Cutter" - the "W" signifies a Coast Guard vessel)

Peacetime service

From 15 August 1946 to 11 September 1947, ''Winona'' was stationed at San Pedro, California, and used for law enforcement, ocean station, and search and rescue operations. She was subsequently homeported at

Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, Clallam County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 19,960 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most populous city in t ...

, until 31 May 1974.Scheina (1990), pp 25–26 On 17 November 1948, she towed the disabled MV ''Herald of Morning''. On 10 June 1949, she assisted FV ''Alice B'' 2 miles off South Amphitrite Point. On 13 February 1950, she towed the disabled MV ''Edgecombe'' to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. On 16 June 1951, she escorted FV ''Sea Lark'' to

Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan ( ; ) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough on Revillagigedo Island of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District. With a p ...

. On 18 and 19 March 1952, she assisted the disabled MV ''Darton'' until relieved by a commercial tug. From 23 to 25 December 1952, she assisted MV ''Maple Cove'' at 48°22’N, 134°26’W. On 13 February 1954, she assisted FV ''Western Fisherman''. On 20 December 1954, she medevaced a crewman from MV ''General Pope''. She patrolled the Gold Cup Races at Seattle, Washington, on 7 August 1955. ''Winona'' served on

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

patrol from July to September 1956. She was back performing that same task from 20 July to 21 September 1963.

Vietnam War

''Winona'' was assigned to

Coast Guard Squadron Three A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

, from 25 January to 17 October 1968. On

1 March Events Pre-1600 *509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...

the ''Winona sank'' a

North Vietnamese North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

trawler designated T-A. Damage controlman first class Thomas Lisk was on board at the time, and reported that a round penetrated the hull and bounce repeatedly around the room but fortunately neither he nor any shipmates were injured.

Return to peacetime duties

On 31 January 1969, ''Winona'' stood by MV ''Belmona'' following a fire 15 miles southwest of

Cape Flattery Cape Flattery () is the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States. It is in Clallam County, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca joins the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Makah Reservation, a ...

until commercial tugs arrived. On 20 July 1969, she assisted in the operations following the sinking of a barge loaded with diesel fuel near

Admiralty Inlet Admiralty Inlet is a strait in the U.S. state of Washington connecting the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound. It lies between Whidbey Island and the northeastern part of the Olympic Peninsula. Boundaries It is generall ...

. On 28 October 1970, she provided medical assistance to ''Urea Maru'' 300 miles off San Francisco.

Decommissioning

The ship was decommissioned on 31 May 1974 and was laid-up at the US Coast Guard Base, Alameda, California until she was scrapped in late 1976.

Footnotes

References