Laid down 21 March 1943 Decommissioned 4 September 1998 Launched 20 May 1943 | Commissioned 12 January 1944 Construction started 21 March 1943 Length 55 m | |
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Name USCGC Basswood (WLB-388) Builder Marine and Iron Shipbuilding Corporation Fate Sold on 24 November 2000, eventually scrapped | ||
The USCGC Basswood (WLB-388) was a Iris-class buoy tender belonging to the United States Coast Guard launched on 20 May 1943 and commissioned on 12 January 1944.
Contents
Design
The Iris-class buoy tenders were constructed after the Mesquite-class buoy tenders. Basswood cost $896,402 to construct and had an overall length of 180 feet (55 m). It had a beam of 37 feet (11 m) and a draft of up to 12 feet (3.7 m) at the time of construction, although this was increased to 14 feet 7 inches (4.45 m) in 1966. It initially had a displacement of 935 long tons (950 t; 1,047 short tons); this was increased to 1,026 long tons (1,042 t; 1,149 short tons) in 1966. It was powered by one electric motor. This was connected up to two Westinghouse generators which were driven by two CooperBessemer GND-8 four-cycle diesel engines. It had a single screw.
The Iris-class buoy tenders had maximum sustained speeds of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph), although this diminished to around 11.9 knots (22.0 km/h; 13.7 mph) in 1966. For economic and effective operation, it had to initially operate at 8.3 knots (15.4 km/h; 9.6 mph), although this increased to 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) in 1966. The ship had a complement of six officers and seventy-four crew members in 1945; this decreased to two warrants, four officers, and forty-seven men in 1966. It was fitted with a SL1 radar system and QBE-3A sonar system in 1945. Its armament consisted of one 3″/50 caliber gun, two 20mm/80 guns, two Mousetraps, two depth charge tracks, and four Y-guns in 1945; these were removed in 1966.
Career
The Basswood in Duluth, Minnesota and commissioned in January 1944. From March to April 1944 she performed general ATON and icebreaking on the Great Lakes after which she was transferred to Astoria, Oregon for additional ATON duty until the end of World War II.
From 1968 until her decommissioning in 1998, the Basswood was stationed in Guam and holds the distinction of being commissioned longer than any other naval ship assigned there. While on station, she was the driving force behind Project Handclasp, a US Navy program to provide health care and humanitarian relief to outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean.