USCGC Escanaba (WPG-77)
Encyclopedia
The United States Coast Guard Cutter
Escanaba (WPG-77) was an "A" class cutter stationed on the Great Lakes
from her commissioning in 1932 until the start of US military involvement in World War II
in 1941. With the outbreak of war, Escanaba redeployed to participate in the Battle of the Atlantic, during the course of which she was ultimately lost with nearly all hands. Struck by either a torpedo
or mine
in the early morning of 13 June 1943, while serving as a convoy escort, Escanaba suffered a fiery explosion and sank within minutes, leaving only two survivors and one body out of her 105-man crew to be found on the surface by rescuers.
and river
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
, was built at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company
in Bay City, Michigan
in 1932. The six cutters of her class were designed primarily for light ice breaking, rescue, and law enforcement duties. She was commissioned on November 23, 1932 in Grand Haven, Michigan
, which would be her permanent station and home port until she was redeployed to the East Coast
for combat duty in the Second World War. Escanabas primary, pre-war missions were ice breaking and search and rescue
on the Great Lakes
, which caused her to become well known throughout the region and a beloved part of her home port's community. During this period, from 1932 to 1934, future USCG Commandant
Edwin J. Roland
served aboard Escanaba as gunnery officer
and navigator
.
With the outbreak of war in 1941, Escanaba's home port was shifted to Boston
, and she was assigned to the Greenland Patrol, performing escort duty and search and rescue
operations in the North Atlantic.
On 15 June 1942, while escorting convoy
XB-25 from Cape Cod
to Halifax
, Escanaba had two submarine
contacts and made attacks on them. No sinkings were confirmed. After making these attacks, the ship rescued 20 people from the SS Cherokee, which had been sunk by a U-boat
. In that same month, Escanaba was credited with the sinkings of two enemy submarines in a single day.
From 1 July until 23 August 1942, she was on weather patrol.
On 3 February 1943, Escanaba participated in the rescue of the survivors of the USAT Dorchester
, which had been torpedoed by a German submarine. The rescue was marked by the Escanaba's historic first use of rescue swimmer
s clad in survival suit
s to aid survivors who were too weakened by shock or hypothermia
in the icy water to pull themselves up cargo nets or sea ladders to the safety and warmth of rescuers' ships, or even to hold on to ropes cast to them from the rescue vessel. By way of the lines the rescue swimmers tied around those who were having trouble helping themselves, many struggling survivors who, debilitated by the cold, would have otherwise been consigned to a watery grave were able to be hauled aboard the Escanaba by crewmen on deck. Even those in the water who appeared to be dead were harnessed by the retrieval swimmers and pulled aboard — indeed, it was found that only 12 of the 50 apparently dead victims thus brought aboard by the retrieval teams actually turned out to be deceased. The rest proved themselves to be quite alive once given the benefit of warmth, dryness, and medical attention.
In all, Escanaba plucked 133 living souls from the water that day, only one of whom went on to die aboard the cutter after rescue. For their work in supervising and organizing the rescue, commanding officer Lieutenant Commander
Carl U. Peterson received the Legion of Merit
and executive officer Lieutenant
Robert H. Prause, Jr., whose experiments in a tethered rubber suit off a dock at Bluie West One
had paved the way for this new "retriever method," received a letter of commendation. Ship's doctor
Assistant Surgeon Ralph R. Nix of the US Public Health Service also received a letter of commendation for his work saving the lives of the critically chilled survivors. Three crew members who went "over the side" to bring in survivors, Ensign
Richard A. Arrighi, Ship's Cook 2nd Class Forrest O. Rednour
, and Steward's Mate 3rd Class Warren T. Deyampert, were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
for their actions in the water. All decorations and commendations, however, were to be awarded posthumously.
On 10 June 1943, Escanaba began escorting her last convoy, GS-24 from Narsarssuak
to St. John's, Newfoundland, in company with the Mojave
(Flag), Tampa
, Storis
, and Algonquin. The vessels they were tasked to escort were USAT Fairfax and the tug USS Raritan
.
At 0510 on 13 June, a large sheet of flame and dense smoke were seen rising from the Escanaba, though no explosion was heard by the other ships in the convoy. She sank at 0513, going down so quickly that she did not have time to send any distress signals. Storis and Raritan were ordered to investigate and rescue survivors while the rest of the convoy began zigzagging and steering evasive courses to avoid enemy submarine
s. Although Storis and Raritan were able to arrive on the scene within ten minutes, only two survivors and one body could be found. At 0715 the two vessels returned to the main body of the convoy, having rescued Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class
Melvin A. Baldwin and Seaman 1st Class
Raymond F. O'Malley, Jr., and having found the body of LT Prause. The entire crew of 13 officers
and 92 men
was lost to the explosion or to rapid hypothermia in the 39 °F (3.9 °C) water with the exception of Baldwin and O'Malley, whose survival was attributed to their soaked clothing having frozen their unconscious bodies to floating debris, which prevented them from following their shipmates to the bottom.
The exact cause of the explosion could not be determined at the time, but was commonly attributed to a torpedo fired by one of several U-Boats which were in the area at the time. However, no U-Boats claimed the kill, and, according to Browning, it is now considered more probable that the cutter was sunk by a drifting mine
.
The city of Grand Haven was hit hard emotionally by the loss of "its" cutter. As the war wore on, the citizens of Grand Haven managed to raise more than $1,000,000 in bonds
to build a new cutter bearing the same name
in order to honor the ill-fated ship and its men. The city continues to hold an annual memorial service to honor the sacrifice of the 103 men who were lost with Escanaba. The third Escanaba (WMEC-907)
was commissioned in 1987 and is currently based in Boston, the final home port of her namesake.
United States Coast Guard Cutter
Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...
Escanaba (WPG-77) was an "A" class cutter stationed on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
from her commissioning in 1932 until the start of US military involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1941. With the outbreak of war, Escanaba redeployed to participate in the Battle of the Atlantic, during the course of which she was ultimately lost with nearly all hands. Struck by either a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
or mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
in the early morning of 13 June 1943, while serving as a convoy escort, Escanaba suffered a fiery explosion and sank within minutes, leaving only two survivors and one body out of her 105-man crew to be found on the surface by rescuers.
History
Escanaba, named for the cityEscanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...
and river
Escanaba River
The Escanaba River is a river in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.In his poem The Song of Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes how Hiawatha "crossed the rushing Esconaba". It is a wide river that cuts into limestone beds...
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
, was built at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company
Defoe Shipbuilding Company
The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was a small ship builder established in 1905 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. It ceased to operate in 1976 after failing to renew its contracts with the United States Navy. The site of the former company is now a scrapyard on the bank of the Saginaw River.-Founding:Harry J...
in Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
in 1932. The six cutters of her class were designed primarily for light ice breaking, rescue, and law enforcement duties. She was commissioned on November 23, 1932 in Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand Haven had a population of 10,412. It is part of the...
, which would be her permanent station and home port until she was redeployed to the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
for combat duty in the Second World War. Escanabas primary, pre-war missions were ice breaking and search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, which caused her to become well known throughout the region and a beloved part of her home port's community. During this period, from 1932 to 1934, future USCG Commandant
Commandant of the Coast Guard
The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard is the highest ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The Commandant is normally the only four-star Admiral in the Coast Guard and is appointed for a four-year term by the President of the United States upon confirmation by the United...
Edwin J. Roland
Edwin J. Roland
Edwin John Roland , served as the twelfth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1962 to 1966.He was born in Buffalo, New York. Growing up in Buffalo, he attended Canisius High School and later Canisius College in the city. He graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New...
served aboard Escanaba as gunnery officer
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
and navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
.
With the outbreak of war in 1941, Escanaba
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and she was assigned to the Greenland Patrol, performing escort duty and search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations in the North Atlantic.
On 15 June 1942, while escorting convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
XB-25 from Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Escanaba had two submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
contacts and made attacks on them. No sinkings were confirmed. After making these attacks, the ship rescued 20 people from the SS Cherokee, which had been sunk by a U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
. In that same month, Escanaba was credited with the sinkings of two enemy submarines in a single day.
From 1 July until 23 August 1942, she was on weather patrol.
On 3 February 1943, Escanaba participated in the rescue of the survivors of the USAT Dorchester
USAT Dorchester
USAT Dorchester was a United States Army Transport ship that was sunk by a torpedo from a German U-boat on February 3, 1943, during World War II...
, which had been torpedoed by a German submarine. The rescue was marked by the Escanaba
Rescue swimmer
The term rescue swimmer may be applied to any number of water rescue professionals, in coast guards and militaries operating around the world....
s clad in survival suit
Survival suit
An immersion suit, or survival suit , is a special type of waterproof dry suit that protects the wearer from hypothermia from immersion in cold water, after abandoning a sinking or capsized vessel, especially in the open ocean...
s to aid survivors who were too weakened by shock or hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
in the icy water to pull themselves up cargo nets or sea ladders to the safety and warmth of rescuers' ships, or even to hold on to ropes cast to them from the rescue vessel. By way of the lines the rescue swimmers tied around those who were having trouble helping themselves, many struggling survivors who, debilitated by the cold, would have otherwise been consigned to a watery grave were able to be hauled aboard the Escanaba by crewmen on deck. Even those in the water who appeared to be dead were harnessed by the retrieval swimmers and pulled aboard — indeed, it was found that only 12 of the 50 apparently dead victims thus brought aboard by the retrieval teams actually turned out to be deceased. The rest proved themselves to be quite alive once given the benefit of warmth, dryness, and medical attention.
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Carl U. Peterson received the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
and executive officer Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Robert H. Prause, Jr., whose experiments in a tethered rubber suit off a dock at Bluie West One
Bluie West One
Bluie West One airfield was built on a glacial moraine at what is now the village of Narsarsuaq, near the southern tip of Greenland. Construction by the U.S. Army began in June 1941, and the first plane landed there in January 1942...
had paved the way for this new "retriever method," received a letter of commendation. Ship's doctor
Ship's doctor
A Ship's doctor or Ship's surgeon is the person responsible for the health of the people aboard a ship whilst at sea. The term "ship's doctor" or "ship's surgeon" appears often in reference to the Age of Sail British Royal Navy's "surgeons." These men, like other physicians, often did not have much...
Assistant Surgeon Ralph R. Nix of the US Public Health Service also received a letter of commendation for his work saving the lives of the critically chilled survivors. Three crew members who went "over the side" to bring in survivors, Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
Richard A. Arrighi, Ship's Cook 2nd Class Forrest O. Rednour
Forrest O. Rednour
Forrest O. Rednour was a United States Coast Guardsman who received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal posthumously for his actions during World War II.-Biography:Forrest Orin Rednour was born in Cutler, Illinois, on 13 May 1923...
, and Steward's Mate 3rd Class Warren T. Deyampert, were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Medal
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the second highest non-combatant medal awarded by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps...
for their actions in the water. All decorations and commendations, however, were to be awarded posthumously.
On 10 June 1943, Escanaba began escorting her last convoy, GS-24 from Narsarssuak
Narsarsuaq
Narsarsuaq is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It had 158 inhabitants in 2010. There is a thriving tourism industry in and around Narsarsuaq, whose attractions include a great diversity of wildlife, gemstones, tours to glaciers, and an airfield museum...
to St. John's, Newfoundland, in company with the Mojave
USCGC Mojave (WPG-47)
The Mojave was launched by the Union Construction Co., Oakland, California on 7 September 1921 as a United States Coast Guard cutter. She was sponsored by Miss Elizabeth Haske of Oakland and commissioned at Oakland on 12 December 1921....
(Flag), Tampa
USCGC Tampa (1921)
USCGC Tampa was a United States Coast Guard Cutter that served in the United States Coast Guard from 1921 to 1941, and then went on to serve in the United States Navy from 1941 to 1947....
, Storis
USCGC Storis (WMEC-38)
For the computer software company, see STORIS Management Systems.The USCG medium endurance cutter Storis was the oldest vessel in commission with the United States Coast Guard fleet at 64 years and 5 months. She was the first American vessel to circumnavigate North America.-World War II:The keel...
, and Algonquin. The vessels they were tasked to escort were USAT Fairfax and the tug USS Raritan
USS Raritan (WYT-93)
The second USS Raritan was a United States Coast Guard harbor tug that served in the United States Navy from 1941 to 1946.Raritan was built for the Coast Guard by Defoe Boat Works, Bay City, Michigan, and was launched on 23 March 1939...
.
At 0510 on 13 June, a large sheet of flame and dense smoke were seen rising from the Escanaba, though no explosion was heard by the other ships in the convoy. She sank at 0513, going down so quickly that she did not have time to send any distress signals. Storis and Raritan were ordered to investigate and rescue survivors while the rest of the convoy began zigzagging and steering evasive courses to avoid enemy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. Although Storis and Raritan were able to arrive on the scene within ten minutes, only two survivors and one body could be found. At 0715 the two vessels returned to the main body of the convoy, having rescued Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class
Boatswain's Mate (US Coast Guard)
The most versatile member of the Coast Guard's operational team is the boatswain's mate . Boatswain's mates are masters of seamanship. BMs are capable of performing almost any task in connection with deck maintenance, small boat operations, navigation, and supervising all personnel assigned to a...
Melvin A. Baldwin and Seaman 1st Class
Seaman
Seaman is one of the lowest ranks in a Navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
Raymond F. O'Malley, Jr., and having found the body of LT Prause. The entire crew of 13 officers
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and 92 men
Naval rating
A Naval Rating is an enlisted member of a country's Navy, subordinate to Warrant Officers and Officers hence not conferred by commission or warrant...
was lost to the explosion or to rapid hypothermia in the 39 °F (3.9 °C) water with the exception of Baldwin and O'Malley, whose survival was attributed to their soaked clothing having frozen their unconscious bodies to floating debris, which prevented them from following their shipmates to the bottom.
The exact cause of the explosion could not be determined at the time, but was commonly attributed to a torpedo fired by one of several U-Boats which were in the area at the time. However, no U-Boats claimed the kill, and, according to Browning, it is now considered more probable that the cutter was sunk by a drifting mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
.
The city of Grand Haven was hit hard emotionally by the loss of "its" cutter. As the war wore on, the citizens of Grand Haven managed to raise more than $1,000,000 in bonds
Series E bond
Series E U.S. Savings Bonds were marketed by the United States government as war bonds from 1941 to 1980. When Americans refer to war bonds, they are usually referring to Series E bonds. Those issued from 1941 to November 1965 accrued interest for 40 years; those issued from December 1965 to June...
to build a new cutter bearing the same name
USCGC Escanaba (WHEC-64)
USCGC Escanaba was an Owasco class high endurance cutter built for World War II service with the United States Coast Guard. The war ended before the ship was completed and consequently she never saw wartime service....
in order to honor the ill-fated ship and its men. The city continues to hold an annual memorial service to honor the sacrifice of the 103 men who were lost with Escanaba. The third Escanaba (WMEC-907)
USCGC Escanaba (WMEC-907)
USCGC Escanaba is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her keel was laid on April 1, 1983 at Robert Derecktor Shipyard Incorporated, Middletown, Rhode Island. She was launched February 6, 1985 and is named for her predecessor, USCGC Escanaba , which...
was commissioned in 1987 and is currently based in Boston, the final home port of her namesake.