.gif)
USCGC Northland (WPG-49)
Encyclopedia
The Coast Guard cutter Northland, WPG-49, a cruising class of gunboat especially designed for Arctic operations, served in World War II, and served in the Israeli navy.
, Newport News, Virginia
, launched 5 February 1927 and commissioned 7 May. She was 216.6 ft (66 m) long, had a maximum displacement of 2,150 tons, and had diesel-electric propulsion. She was originally fitted with auxiliary sails, but they were removed and her tall masts were trimmed in 1936.
her homeports were alternately San Francisco, Oakland, and Seattle. She served primarily on the Bering Sea
Patrol, where she performed "everything under the midnight sun."
The cutters on Bering Sea Patrol were much more than symbols. They assisted in the performance in many governmental functions. For the Justice Department
they enforced the law, apprehended criminals, and transported floating courts. They gathered military intelligence for the Navy Department
, and carried mail for the Post Office Department
. For the Interior Department
, the cutters carried teachers to their posts, conducted sanitation inspections, and guarded timber and game. They surveyed coastlines and regional industries for the Department of Commerce
and carried Public Health Service
personnel to isolated villages, otherwise without medical service.
Northland departed the West Coast in 1938 on her last Arctic cruise, after which she decommissioned. In June 1939, however, she recommissioned and transferred to Boston, Massachusetts. to prepare for the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition.
.
In May 1940, Northland entered New York Navy Yard
to be outfitted for special duty in Greenland
. She embarked on her first Greenland Survey 20 August and visited harbors in order to determine the best location for patrol forces. The information that resulted contributed to the composition of a Greenland pilot volume as well as new charts. These were subsequently utilized in the formal organization of the Greenland Patrol, after an agreement between the United States and exiled rulers of Nazi-held Denmark was signed 9 April 1941. By that agreement Greenland was included in the United States' system of cooperative defense of the Western Hemisphere.
Northland set out 7 April 1941 on a two month cruise to assist in the South Greenland Survey Expedition. While conducting this survey she searched for victims of ships sunk in the North Atlantic. While on one of her many mercy missions, she was involved in a near catastrophe. Only six miles from the scene of battle between Bismarck
and the British ships that finally sank the giant German warship, Northland was mistaken by the British for an enemy ship and very nearly taken under fire.
The South Greenland Patrol was organized with cutters Modoc
, Comanche, and Raritan, and the former Coast and Geodetic
survey ship Bowdoin. A month later the Northeast Greenland Patrol was organized with cutter Northland, former Interior Department ship North Star, and Bear
, Capt. Edward H. "Iceberg" Smith
, USCG, in command.
A month before the consolidation of the two patrols, Northland sighted the German-controlled Norwegian sealer Buskoe 12 September and sent a boarding party to investigate. Buskoe was taken to MacKenzie Bay
, on the Greenland coast, where she became the first American naval capture of the period of emergency that preceded U.S. entry into the war. It was believed that she had been sending weather reports and information on Allied shipping to the Germans. Her capture also led to the discovery of a German radio station about five hundred miles up the Greenland coast from Mackenzie Bay. A night raiding party from Northland captured three Nazis at Peter Bregt, with equipment and code, as well as German plans for other radio stations in the far north.
The two Greenland Patrols were consolidated 25 October under Smith, who became a Rear Admiral. From the outset, Northland served as Admiral Smith's flagship. By 1943 the force had grown to include thirty-seven vessels.
Cutter Northland sighted and attacked a submarine in Davis Strait
18 June 1942. The presence of oil and bubbles indicated possible hits from the cutter's depth charges, but German records give no indication of a submarine sinking in this area.
In July 1944 Northland discovered a Nazi trawler believed to be Coberg, which had been fired and completely gutted by her crew. This was one of the ships suspected of carrying three separate German expeditions to Greenland A second Nazi craft was disposed of in September after Northland pursued her for seventy miles (113 km)) through ice floes off Great Koldewey Island, The Germans scuttled their ship and then surrendered and were taken on board Northland.
Northland received two battle stars for World War II service. Northland returned to the Treasury Department
1 January 1946 and remained on weather patrol duty until she decommissioned 27 March. Northland had a hand in the desegregation of the United States Navy. While executive officer of the ship, Carlton Skinner
, who would later captain the USCGC Sea Cloud, the first integrated warship since the Civil War, witnessed a black kitchen assistant save the ship. This convinced him that black sailors were just as capable as white sailors.
to Palestine
. In 1948 she was renamed Eilat and became the flagship of the infant Israeli Navy
. Later, the ship she became a training ship. In 1955, the ship was renamed Matzpen, serving as a barracks or depot hulk. The ship was scrapped in 1961.
Design
Northland was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock CorporationNorthrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
, Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, launched 5 February 1927 and commissioned 7 May. She was 216.6 ft (66 m) long, had a maximum displacement of 2,150 tons, and had diesel-electric propulsion. She was originally fitted with auxiliary sails, but they were removed and her tall masts were trimmed in 1936.
Bering Sea Patrol
Prior to World War IIWorld 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...
her homeports were alternately San Francisco, Oakland, and Seattle. She served primarily on the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
Patrol, where she performed "everything under the midnight sun."
The cutters on Bering Sea Patrol were much more than symbols. They assisted in the performance in many governmental functions. For the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
they enforced the law, apprehended criminals, and transported floating courts. They gathered military intelligence for the Navy Department
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
, and carried mail for the Post Office Department
United States Post Office Department
The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....
. For the Interior Department
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, the cutters carried teachers to their posts, conducted sanitation inspections, and guarded timber and game. They surveyed coastlines and regional industries for the Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
and carried Public Health Service
United States Public Health Service
The Public Health Service Act of 1944 structured the United States Public Health Service as the primary division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , which later became the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The PHS comprises all Agency Divisions of Health and...
personnel to isolated villages, otherwise without medical service.
Northland departed the West Coast in 1938 on her last Arctic cruise, after which she decommissioned. In June 1939, however, she recommissioned and transferred to Boston, Massachusetts. to prepare for the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition.
World War II Service
With the eruption of war in Europe in September, she was withdrawn from the expedition and returned to Alameda, CaliforniaAlameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
.
In May 1940, Northland entered New York Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
to be outfitted for special duty in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. She embarked on her first Greenland Survey 20 August and visited harbors in order to determine the best location for patrol forces. The information that resulted contributed to the composition of a Greenland pilot volume as well as new charts. These were subsequently utilized in the formal organization of the Greenland Patrol, after an agreement between the United States and exiled rulers of Nazi-held Denmark was signed 9 April 1941. By that agreement Greenland was included in the United States' system of cooperative defense of the Western Hemisphere.
Northland set out 7 April 1941 on a two month cruise to assist in the South Greenland Survey Expedition. While conducting this survey she searched for victims of ships sunk in the North Atlantic. While on one of her many mercy missions, she was involved in a near catastrophe. Only six miles from the scene of battle between Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
and the British ships that finally sank the giant German warship, Northland was mistaken by the British for an enemy ship and very nearly taken under fire.
The South Greenland Patrol was organized with cutters Modoc
USCGC Modoc (WPG-46)
USCGC Modoc was a 240-foot Tampa class United States Coast Guard cutter designed for multi-mission roles. She had a top speed of sixteen knots, and was armed with a pair of 5-inch deck guns. With the breakout of war it was armed with depth charges, additional guns, sonar, and radar and...
, Comanche, and Raritan, and the former Coast and Geodetic
U.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
survey ship Bowdoin. A month later the Northeast Greenland Patrol was organized with cutter Northland, former Interior Department ship North Star, and Bear
Bear (ship)
The Bear was a dual steam-powered and sailing ship built with six inch thick sides which had a long life in various cold-water and ice-filled environs. She was a forerunner of modern icebreakers and had an exceptionally diverse service life...
, Capt. Edward H. "Iceberg" Smith
Edward H. Smith (sailor)
Edward H. "Iceberg" Smith was a United States Coast Guard admiral, oceanographer, and Arctic explorer. He received a Ph.D. in oceanography from Harvard, and commanded the Marion and the Northland. Most famously, he commanded the Northeast Greenland Patrol, and led Coast Guard efforts to defend...
, USCG, in command.
A month before the consolidation of the two patrols, Northland sighted the German-controlled Norwegian sealer Buskoe 12 September and sent a boarding party to investigate. Buskoe was taken to MacKenzie Bay
MacKenzie Bay
MacKenzie Bay is a relatively small embayment of the western extremity of the Amery Ice Shelf, about 20 miles northeast of Foley Promontory. On February 10, 1931, the British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition sighted a much larger embayment here and made an airplane flight to...
, on the Greenland coast, where she became the first American naval capture of the period of emergency that preceded U.S. entry into the war. It was believed that she had been sending weather reports and information on Allied shipping to the Germans. Her capture also led to the discovery of a German radio station about five hundred miles up the Greenland coast from Mackenzie Bay. A night raiding party from Northland captured three Nazis at Peter Bregt, with equipment and code, as well as German plans for other radio stations in the far north.
The two Greenland Patrols were consolidated 25 October under Smith, who became a Rear Admiral. From the outset, Northland served as Admiral Smith's flagship. By 1943 the force had grown to include thirty-seven vessels.
Davis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
18 June 1942. The presence of oil and bubbles indicated possible hits from the cutter's depth charges, but German records give no indication of a submarine sinking in this area.
In July 1944 Northland discovered a Nazi trawler believed to be Coberg, which had been fired and completely gutted by her crew. This was one of the ships suspected of carrying three separate German expeditions to Greenland A second Nazi craft was disposed of in September after Northland pursued her for seventy miles (113 km)) through ice floes off Great Koldewey Island, The Germans scuttled their ship and then surrendered and were taken on board Northland.
Northland received two battle stars for World War II service. Northland returned to the Treasury Department
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
1 January 1946 and remained on weather patrol duty until she decommissioned 27 March. Northland had a hand in the desegregation of the United States Navy. While executive officer of the ship, Carlton Skinner
Carlton Skinner
Carlton S. Skinner was the first civilian governor of Guam and a prominent advocate for the integration of the United States Armed Forces...
, who would later captain the USCGC Sea Cloud, the first integrated warship since the Civil War, witnessed a black kitchen assistant save the ship. This convinced him that black sailors were just as capable as white sailors.
Service in the Israeli Navy
Although sold for scrap 3 January 1947, Northland was renamed Jewish State, and transported Jewish refugeesJewish refugees
In the course of history, Jewish populations have been expelled or ostracised by various local authorities and have sought asylum from antisemitism numerous times...
to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. In 1948 she was renamed Eilat and became the flagship of the infant Israeli Navy
Israeli Sea Corps
The Israeli Navy is the naval arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea theater. The current commander in chief of the Israeli Navy is Aluf Ram Rothberg.-History:...
. Later, the ship she became a training ship. In 1955, the ship was renamed Matzpen, serving as a barracks or depot hulk. The ship was scrapped in 1961.