 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Cuyahoga |
| Namesake | Cuyahoga River in Ohio |
| Builder | American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation,Camden,New Jersey |
| Laid down | 1926 |
| Launched | 27 January 1927 |
| Commissioned | 3 March 1927 |
| Decommissioned | 29 May 1933 |
| Identification | WSC-157 |
| Fate | Transferred to the U.S. Navy |
 United States | |
| Commissioned | 1 April 1935 |
| Decommissioned | 17 May 1941 |
| Identification | AG-26[1] |
| Fate | Returned to the U.S. Coast Guard |
| United States | |
| Commissioned | 17 May 1941 (USCG) |
| Identification | WIX-157 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Active-classpatrol boat |
| Displacement | 320 tons |
| Length | 125 ft (38 m) |
| Beam | 23.5 ft (7.2 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion | twindiesel |
| Range | 4,900 miles (7,900 km)[clarification needed] |
| Complement | 29 |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Armament |
|
USCGCCuyahoga (WIX-157) was anActive-classpatrol boat built in 1927 which saw action inWorld War II.Cuyahoga sank after a night-time collision in theChesapeake Bay while on patrol in 1978. She was later raised and re-sunk as an artificial reef off theVirginia coast and is a popular recreational dive site.
TheActive-class was one of the most useful and long lasting in the service. Thirty-three ships were built with sixteencutters still in use in the 1960s. The last to be decommissioned wasUSCGC Morris in 1970; the last in service wasCuyahoga, sunk in 1978. They were designed for the outer line of patrol duringprohibition, trailing mother ships. They gained a reputation for durability only enhanced by their re-engining in the late 1930s; their original 6-cylinder diesels were replaced by significantly more powerful 8-cylinder GE 268-A engines, each with 800 bhp (600 kW) that used the original engine beds and gave the vessels 3 additional knots. All served inWorld War II, however,USCGC Jackson andUSCGC Bedloe, were lost in theGreat Atlantic Hurricane in 1944. Ten were refitted asbuoy tenders during World War II and reverted to patrol work afterward.[2][3]
USCGCCuyahoga was built byAmerican Brown Boveri, launched 27 January 1927 and commissioned 3 March 1927 atCamden, New Jersey. After commissioning, she saw duty in theAtlantic enforcing prohibition by interceptingrumrunners.[2]
On 29 May 1933Cuyahoga arrived at theWashington Navy Yard and commissioned in the U.S. Navy on 1 April 1935 asAG-26, a tender for the Presidential YachtUSS Potomac.[1][2]
She returned to Coast Guard jurisdiction on 17 May 1941 and recommissioned by the Coast Guard at the Washington Navy Yard on that day. She arrived at her new permanent station atBaltimore, Maryland 20 May 1941.[2]
On 17 January 1942 her permanent station was changed from Baltimore toNorfolk, Virginia, where she reported to Commander Defense Area Group for duty. During World War IICuyahoga was on escort duty attached to Commander Eastern Sea Frontier and Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier. From October 1942 to June 1945 she spent the majority of her time in theCaribbean Sea, usually escorting vessels betweenGuantanamo Bay,Trinidad andParamaribo. During the warCuyahoga was armed with one3 in (76 mm)/23 caliber antiaircraft gun and two depth charge racks.[2]
After the war,Cuyahoga operated out of Norfolk until May 1946 when she, along withCalypso, was placed "In Commission-Reserve" status due to personnel shortages. In April 1947Cuyahoga was transferred from Norfolk to theUnited States Coast Guard Yard atCurtis Bay, Maryland and worked with the Field Testing and Development Unit except for occasional engineering and other operational activities.[2]
From 1957 to 1959 she was assigned toNew London, Connecticut for training officer candidates. Later in 1959 arrived atYorktown, Virginia where she continued to provide training for officer candidates.[2]
On 20 October 1978,Cuyahoga was the oldest commissioned vessel in Coast Guard service and was conducting a night-time training cruise during clear weather. She was heading north at 12 knots in theChesapeake Bay offSmith Point Light near the mouth of thePotomac River. At 8:45pm, Officer CandidateOfficer of the Deck Earl Fairchild reported sighting a light on the northern horizon. Thecommanding officer, Chief Warrant Officer Donald K. Robinson confirmed this observation and after evaluating the radar contact misidentified the contact as a similarly northbound small vessel, likely a fishing boat turning into the Potomac River at 15,700 yards. In fact, it was the 521-foot Argentinian bulk freighter, M/VSanta Cruz II, loaded with 19,000 tons of coal, bound forSan Nicolás de los Arroyos,Argentina traveling south at over 14 knots.[4][5]
The pilot ofSanta Cruz, John P. Hamill, identifiedCuyahoga, and neither he nor the ship's Captain Abdelardo Albornoz were concerned as the two ships appeared to be passing port-to-port. When the two vessels were 1,200 yards apartCuyahoga turned west, into the path ofSanta Cruz, to enter the Potomac River to moor for the night.[5] Hamill immediately soundedSanta Cruz's whistle signaling that he would maintain course and speed and that the cutter should return to its original course. After waiting 30 seconds without any response fromCuyahoga Hamill sounded a danger warning of five short blasts.[4]
Robinson still believed the vessel was a small fishing boat and that it was also turning into the Potomac River, sounded his whistle in acknowledgement and turned further west. Robinson realized that he was about to collide with a freighter and ordered "all engines stop," then "full reverse". At 9:07pm, the bulbous underwater bow ofSanta Cruz tore throughCuyahoga's midship, 40 feet from the stern, rolling her over at a 50 degree angle. Robinson had reversed back into the path ofSanta Cruz.[4]
Cuyahoga sank within two minutes of the collision in 58 feet of water. The cutter's 13-foot Boston Whaler utility boat had popped free of the sinking vessel and Boatswain's Mate Roger Wild put the injured survivors in the boat. The un-injured clung to the sides of the boat until the freighter returned to pick up survivors.[4] Eleven on boardCuyahoga were killed, but 18 survived.[2][4]
The Marine Casualty Report, number USCG 16732/92368 dated 31 July 1979, concluded:
The Commandant has determined that the proximate cause of the casualty was that the commanding officer of the USCGC CUYAHOGA failed to properly identify the navigation lights displayed by the M/V SANTA CRUZ II. As a result he did not comprehend that the vessels were in a meeting situation, and altered the CUYAHOGA's course to port taking his vessel into the path of the SANTA CRUZ II.[6]
Two U.S. Navyfloating cranes were brought to the scene of the sinking and on 29 October 1978Cuyahoga was raised.[7] She was towed toPortsmouth,Virginia, where the hole was patched. On 26 November 1978, it was decided toscuttle the ship in theAtlantic Ocean off theVirginia Capes to create anartificial reef for fishing.Cuyahoga was towed 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) offshore and on 29 March 1979 she was scuttled.[7] She sits upright on the seafloor in 100 feet (30 meters) of water.[4][8]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1978 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1979 | |
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| Other incidents |
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36°57′39″N75°22′11″W / 36.96083°N 75.36972°W /36.96083; -75.36972
