That was typical of his amazing generation. The crew of the submarine was observed to be abandoning ship via the conning tower. All Lighthouses & Light Stations Stations & Units Water. For anyone interested in the role of the Coast Guard in World War II, this is the book to check out. After the war, the Coast Guard added a huge tripod radar mast aft, and a two story balloon shelter. All His inflatable life vest was not working well as it had been punctured by shrapnel, and he almost didn’t make it. This month marks the 70th anniversary of a decisive victory for the predecessor of Coast Guard Cutter Spencer. The crew of the submarine was observed to be abandoning ship via the conning tower. Most served the United States for over 40 years, including with distinc… The Spencer had another sub kill taken away, and may have had a third but were unable to confirm the kill. He was a quartermaster. I also served briefly in the Half Moon, having been loaned to her TDY for her Gitmo trip in January 1966 because she was very short of officers after some transfers and an illness and an accident. Naval Institute Press (1982) ISBN 0-87021-717-8 U.S. Coast Guard in World War II, Malcolm F. Willoughby. I am told my Grandfather is one of the three sailors wearing an officers combination cover standing on the fantail of the Spencer of the historical photo with the deapthcharge bloom in the background. The Treasury-class cutters proved highly adaptable, dependable, versatile and long-lived warships. Required fields are marked *. We were relieved at the end of our Vietnam deployment by the Duane. One straggler was reported. Another reason the Navy were jealous of her is that she was a tremendous seaboat, and a much more comfortable ride than anything near her size the navy owned. The USCGC Northland in World War II. The Spencer served for over 37 years and when decommissioned in 1974 she was the most decorated cutter in the Coast Guard's fleet. She was decommissioned on 23 January 1974. Three Germans were observed to be dead in the conning tower. After the commissioning of the new Spencer in 1986 membership was opened to the crews of the USS Spencer WMEC-905. Last week, the flag was returned to its home ship in Portsmouth. Commissioned in 1937, she was first used as a search and rescue unit off Alaska's fishing grounds. Spencer made the announcement Thursday alongside Adm. Karl Schultz, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, in a ceremony aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle in Cherbourg, France. Medical Logs of Revenue Cutters and Coast Guard Vessels, 1899 - 1934; Telegraph and Radio Logs of Revenue Cutters and Coast Guard Vessels, 1910 - 1916; Logbooks of Lighthouse Tenders, 1873 - 1941; For U.S. Coast Guard logs from 1972 to the 1980s see our Regional Archives depending on the vessel's home port and location of station. She returned to combat duty off the Vietnam coast in January 1969. The Spencer and five of her 327-foot Secretary-class sisters helped keep the supply lifeline between North America and Britain open during the Battle of the Atlantic. At 1138 a submarine [U-175] surfaced to conning tower depth at 2,500 yards, drawing slowly right, still underway but apparently damaged. Here she provided navigational assistance for the fledgling Trans-Atlantic air industry and acted as a search and rescue platform both ships and aeroplanes. At 1238 Spencer began picking up survivors alongside. A World War II-era ship docked in Baltimore is about to get a new name.Living Classrooms Foundation and Historic Ships of Baltimore will rename the cutter Roger B. Taney. Like all other Coast Guard vessels that sailed as part of the Navy during World War II, the cutter Spencer served right alongside Naval Ships-of-the-Line and matched them blow for blow through some of the most demanding actions. Dieter passed away in December 2014. https://military.wikia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Coast_Guard_cutters In an instant it had disappeared. On Sep. 12, 1941, nearly three months before the Pearl Harbor attack, the crew of Coast Guard cutter Northland conducted the first U.S. raid of the war. We just got set down sideways to leeward. On the 13th one escort was 25 miles to the north with four stragglers. I’ve tried finding a list of crew names who served on the Spencer during the time in question but no luck. I got to board the ship once in New Jersey, and as a 10 year old it was very exciting. On the 16th Spencer dropped depth charge and delivered a mousetrap attack on a sound contact, firing eight more rounds of mousetrap ammunition on another contact an hour later. At 1138 a submarine [U-175] surfaced to conning tower depth at 2,500 yards, drawing slowly right, still underway but apparently damaged. The US Revenue Cutter Spencer, 1844-1867 The Life magazine article was in the June 7, 1943 issue. My father served on the Spencer. Posted June 28, 2013. On the 15th the submarine report indicated that the convoy may have been sighted by U-boats. After the war Spencer returned to her Coast Guard duties, serving in the Atlantic Ocean. While still under Navy control, the cutter departed New York on 26 June 1919, bound for the west coast. Spencer saw service in the Pacific War. One German officer and 18 men were rescued by Spencer and 22 by Duane. At 1140 Spencer commenced firing all guns and observed many hits on the conning tower and at its base. Location: 35°54'7.61"N, 75°23'42.47"W (35.902116, -75.395133) Depth:77 feet Vessel Type:U.S. Coast Guard Active Class Patrol Boat Length: 125 feet Breadth:23 feet 6 inches Gross Tonnage: 232 tons Cargo:N/A Built: American Brown Boveri Electric Company, Camden, New Jersey, and commissioned on March 14, 1927 Hull Number: Unknown Port of Registry: Morehead City, North Carolina, USA Owner:U.S. Coast Guard Former Names:None Date Lost:September 14, 1944 Sunk By: Great Atlantic Hurricane Surv… The submarine was sunk off south-west of Ireland by USCGC Spencer (WPG-36) on April 17, 1943. . The Treasury-class cutter was a group of seven high endurance cutters launched by the United States Coast Guard between 1936 and 1937. Air. They just did what they thought was their duty. Association membership was initially opened to World War II crew members and eventually to all former crew members. She finished the war in the Pacific. They were built to run from Atoll lagoon to atoll lagoon in the South Pacific, preferably on a nice day. I think it was to Argentia, Newfoundland. In mid 1943 three of the new 180 foot Buoy tenders arrived. Coast Guard units served with distinction in missions supporting the war effort even before formal U.S. entry into World War II. 2 boat with a submarine boarding party. World War II. Dieter is shown in the picture above as the man still in the water grabbing the cargo net. There she was credited with taking part in numerous amphibious assaults including Luzon and Palawan in the Philippines Campaign. ww2dbase USS Spencer Awards For ten months she carried out surveillance to prevent troops and supplies from getting into South Vietnam. I wonder when the captions were written: they mostly speak of Nazis instead of German seaman. The Coast Guard war diaries include Abstracts of War Diaries, 5/1942 - 9/1945, which are arranged by year and thereunder by unit, and include highlights of outstanding activities and operations by Coast Guard ships and shore units during World War II. My dad, fluent in German, was told to get the prisoner’s names and ranks. She was one of the seaplane tenders the Coast Guard took over after the war. On 28 August, after her arrival in the 13th Naval District, she was returned to Treasury Department jurisdiction. These cutters have adequate accommodations for crew to live on board and can do 6 to 8 week patrols. At 1117 she regained it and fired mousetraps. We had to turn the other way, heading up into the wind and then falling off the other side to make our turn. My wife and I visited Dieter and his wife in Germany in 2012. At 1220 the sub began sinking and sank stern first at 1227. The last of the Secretary class cutters is moored in Baltimore. USCGC Spencer (WPG-36) was a Treasury-class cutter of the United States Coast Guard that served during World War II.[1]. He had volunteered to make his way in the heavy seas to the aft depth charge racks to tighten them down their having come loose in the rough ocean at some considerable risk to his person. 31 talking about this. I always thought it exciting for the CG ship to have actually sank a Nazi submarine. The book gives a comprehensive listing of all the craft used by the Coast Guard and transfered to the Navy. Learn how your comment data is processed. COAST GUARD CUTTER SINKS SUB: Coast Guardsmen on the deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter SPENCER watch the explosion of a depth charge which blasted a Nazi U-Boat’s hope of breaking into the center of a large convoy. As air-passenger aircraft flights were expanding at home and overseas, the Coast Guard believed that cutter-based aircraft were essential for future search and rescue missions. She was a naphtha tanker which had been in a collision in Kill Van Kull, and then blew up again in Gravesend Bay when they were trying to unload the remaining naphtha. Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medals, http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Spencer1937.asp, http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html, http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html, http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sc/index.html, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/USCGC_Spencer_(WPG-36)?oldid=2646226, Pages using duplicate arguments in template calls. ... On Jan. 31, the Secretary-class cutter Spencer, converted into an amphibious-force flagship, helped to direct landings south of the entrance to Manila Bay. (Later the CG came under Navy orders but not then.). When the United States entered World War II the Coast Guard temporarily became part of the United States Navy. We went immediately to refresher training at Gitmo, and did several Ocean Stations in my time. We also spent July 4th weekend in 1966 escorting the tugs towing the SS Alva Cape out past the 1000 fathom curve off New Jersey and sinking her with gunfire. There was so much windage aft that we could not gybe, or bring the stern across the wind. Her last voyage was from New York City to the United States Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay on 15 January 1974. (U.S. Coast Guard) The Coast Guard conducted the first U.S. raid of WWII. 17th April 1943: USCGC Spencer’s mid Atlantic attack on U-175. My father served on Duane and is pictured helping U-175 survivor Dieter Wolf across the deck in one photo not shown in this link. Caption: Sinking of German submarine U-175, April 1943. Hollandia. She’s the Taney and is wonderfully preserved. My older brother Herbert Adler served on the Spencer from about 1951 to 1954 in the engine room. The after davit of Spencer’s No. The Allied operation, launched on June 6, 1944, started the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. During the Battle of Atlantic she acted as a convoy escort, hunting German U-boats, and was responsible for sinking U-175in 1943. The depth charge tossed from the 327-foot cutter blew the submarine to the surface, where it was engaged by Coast Guardsmen. On 3 September 1939, two days after the German invasion of Poland, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. The convoy proceeded due east to avoid submarines reported south of Greenland and Iceland. Your email address will not be published. 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