After one successful trip, the gig's engine broke down and the Coast Guardsmen once again launched a pulling boat. An hour later, another ship in convoy fired at an unidentified object and soon afterwards the lookout on Bibb reported a wake crossing the bow from port to starboard at a distance of about 500 yards, which faded. On the 24th she was underway out of the swept channel with Task Force 60, consisting of six Coast Guard-manned destroyer escorts and six Navy destroyer escorts, the escort oiler USS Mattaponi (AO-41) and two French escorts, escorting convoy UGS-46 to North African ports. In peacetime the Bibb spent time on ocean station providing weather information and beacons to trans-Atlantic traffic. Thirty-two preliminary designs of a modified Erie-class gunboat were drawn up before one was finally selected. She passed through to canal and departed Balboa on the 23rd for Pearl Harbor. In 1944 Bibb provided convoy escort between the United States and North Africa mainly to Bizerte in Tunisia. At first light on 1 July, a rescue aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City was on scene and assisting in the search. The broken blower crankshaft of one of the merchant vessels in convoy was repaired on Bibb and transferred to it by breeches buoy. The mid-1970s were a period of transition for the Coast Guard with the passage of the Fisheries Conservation and Management Act and the nation's shift towards increased interdiction of narcotics smugglers. Tweet. She underwent a major renovation at East Boston's Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in early 1975, including extensive repairs to her hull and machinery spaces. Ten other destroyers dropped charges on doubtful contacts and Bibb made an embarrassing attack on a contact at 600 yards at 1430. Bibb Cutter File, US Coast Guard Historian's Office. She remained in South Boston Navy Yard until 16 January 1943 undergoing repairs to her hull and machinery. Electronics:HF/DF: (1943)Radar: (1945) SK, SG-1; (1966) AN/SPS-29D, AN/SPA-52.Fire Control Radar: (1945) Mk-26; (1966) Mk-26 MOD 4Sonar: (1945) QC series; (1966) SQS-11. When completed on the 15th the convoy formation consisted of 12 columns of ships. Two and a half hours after this rescue, Ingham sighted red flares and Bibb proceeded to cover Ingham while she picked up eight survivors from SS Tennessee. On 24-25 January 1966 Bibb escorted the disabled merchant vessel SS South African Victory to Boston. Her propelling plant consisted of twin propellers powered by geared turbines supplied with steam from oil fired boilers. On 3 November we transferred them to the commercial tug Neptunia for further transfer to the tug Turmoil which then took them to Singapore.". The three vessels arrived off the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the 17th. At the end of World War II, each Secretary Class cutter was returned to her peace-time makeup. Radio Call Sign: NRDBCost: $2,468,460.00Keel Laid: 15 August 1935Launched: 14 January 1937Commissioned: 10 March 1937Decommissioned: 30 September 1985Disposition: Sunk as an artificial reef off the Florida Keys on 28 November 1987Builder: Charleston Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PADisplacement: 2,350 (1936)Length: 327 0Beam: 41 0Draft: 12 6 (max. He returned to his unit after treatment and we expect him to recover completely.". She had a sound contact at 900 yards and dropped a full pattern with negative results. She received credit for the destruction of one Japanese aircraft. On 14 June 1945 Bibb stood out of Kerama Retto, in company with two other Navy vessels, and escorted by three destroyers, to ride out a reported storm at sea. Nearby, a second Treasury-Class ship, the USCGC Duane (WPG-33) was also sunk as an artificial reef. First Class Hospitalman James Jones of South Portsmouth, Kentucky, added: "After the fighting we treated one of the South Vietnamese soldiers for wounds in the right arm and leg. Thirty-two preliminary designs of a modified Erie-class gunboat were drawn up before one was finally selected. Lookouts aboard the Bibb sighted one of the Mallorys lifeboats and, disobeying an order to return to the convoy, the Bibbs commanding officer, CDR Roy Raney, ordered his cutter to begin rescuing survivors. .Built for only $2.5 million each, in terms of cost effectiveness we may never see the likes of these cutters again.". Pin it. Sound contacts were attacked that day and the next and on the 16th four more destroyers of Task Group 21.3 joined the escort group. On the 31st she was underway escorting USS Saturn (AF-40) to St. John's Newfoundland, where she arrived at 0900. Soon afterwards she got underway to join Trillium and relieved her of escort of SS Empire Bunting. Many of them were suffering from exposure and edema, but after treatment almost all recovered. She remained there only seven hours and at 1729 stood out of Loch Foyle in company with Ingham and Vulcan for a trip direct to Norfolk, Virginia. Due to the prohibitive cost of maintaining the aging Bibb, she was decommissioned on 30 September 1984 after a career spanning over 48 years. At the end of World War II, each Secretary Class cutter was returned to her peace-time makeup. This standardization saved moneyalways paramount in the Coast Guards considerationsand the cutters were built in U.S. Navy shipbuilding yards. It was the Boeing 314 flying boat Bermuda Sky Queen (NC-18612), on a trans-Atlantic flight from Foynes, Ireland to Gander, Newfoundland with 62 passengers and 7 crew on board. On 1 March 1943, Bibb was underway to join convoy HX-227, which she did at 1625. Because of the weather zigzagging was discontinued. After she returned to service, Bibb undertook a cadet cruise to Bermuda and then to Europe. This convoy was part of an east bound trans-Atlantic convoy which had broken off and was headed for Iceland. The cutter, Sunk as an artificial reef off the Florida Keys on 28 November 1987, 2 x Westinghouse double-reduction geared turbines; 2 x Babcock & Wilcox sectional express, air-encased, 400 psi, 200 superheat. One ship was reported later to have returned to Reykjavik safely. In the winter of 1939 she was part of the Grand Banks Patrol. She arrived at San Juan on 7 January 1944 and departed on the 8th for Guantanamo Bay where she arrived on the 9th. On the 6th two other destroyers, USS Schenk (DD-159) and USS Babbitt (DD-128) were relieved, and USS Decatur (DD-341) and cutter Duane (WPG-33) joined the escort, which had met the 13-ship convoy ONSJ-94 on a southerly course to Iceland. The New York section of the convoy began breaking off on the 26th, with Ingham, as senior escort with four Navy destroyers, and the rest of the convoy stood into Chesapeake Bay entrance. On the next day she departed the convoy in company with Schenck and arrived at Hvalfjordur that evening, proceeding to Reykjavik next day. On the 12th four merchant vessels were detached for Bone, Algeria, while three merchant vessels from that port joined. Frequently one, two or three boats were alongside and on one occasion there were as many as nine boats alongside at the same time. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1987, "USCG: Flag/SES Bios - Commander Coast Guard Atlantic Area", List of cutters of the United States Coast Guard, Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, Bullhead Point Historical and Archeological District, Maritime Heritage Trail Battle of Saipan, List of shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USCGC_Bibb&oldid=1131140070, Ships built in Charleston, South Carolina, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Sunk as an artificial reef off the Florida Keys on 28 November 1987, 2 x Westinghouse double-reduction geared turbines; 2 x Babcock & Wilcox sectional express, air-encased, 400 psi, 200 superheat 5,250 (total shaft horse power), 1937: 12 officers, 4 warrants, 107 enlisted, 1941: 16 officers, 5 warrants, 202 enlisted. Twenty minutes later she sighted a life raft with three men on it end she directed the rescue ship to pick them up. Later that month she seized the motor vessel SS Rio Panuco with 50 tons of marijuana on board. Bibb was named for U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (July 4, 1844 March 7, 1845) George M. Bibb. Bibb was then directed to coordinate the search efforts for the missing sailing vessel Patriot with six crewmen aboard. The attack took place at 36 23' N x 00 26.5' E. No planes came within range of Bibb during the entire action. She remained underway except for three days, until 11 October, carrying out typhoon plan X-RAY. An hour later there were numerous red flares and shortly afterwards a lifeboat and raft ware sighted. From October 1973 until she was decommissioned, Bibb was stationed at New Bedford. The next day she had a sound contact and carried out an embarrassing attack, dropping two depth charges. From April to August of 1945 she participated in the assault on Okinawa, surviving numerous kamikaze attacks. Later again that month and into August she seized the fishing vessel Shanti after the crew of the fishing vessel threw approximately three tons of marijuana overboard. From time to time on the voyage Bibb rendered medical assistance to crew members and to one German prisoner of war aboard the various convoyed ships. Seven similar "combat cutters" were built and named for secretaries of the United States Treasury. CG-71) was built at the Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, and was launched in 1937. The weather patrols (later termed "ocean station patrols") consisted of sailing for three weeks on one of four assigned stations in the North Atlantic, and each cutter assigned performed four or five such patrols each year. If you served in USCGC Bibb (WPG-31/WHEC-31), Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. On the 21st Portent stood by to cover one of the convoy vessels that had steering trouble. Three ships in the area fired at the aircraft which was knocked down about 1,000 yards to the north of Bibb. In the U.S. Navy, asbestos was considered so important that the U.S. government once mandated its use in shipbuilding. The legendary Bibb was named for U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (July 4, 1844 - March 7, 1845) George M. Bibb. The Vigilant capsized and sank one hour later. USCG Duane (Wreck) Stern Smoke Stack Bow She is a 327 foot Treasury class US Coast Guard cutter. This designation indicated a multi-mission ship able to operate at sea for 30-45 days without support and, On three patrols she participated in amphibious assaults on Phu Quoc Island. She was commissioned on 10 March 1937. A Coast Guard press release noted: "Bibb once again utilized its excellent boat operation capabilities to board and search over 40 vessels in the Caribbean Theater during a two month period." A U.S. Army liaison officer boarded Bibb and worked with a spotter aircraft in coordinating our fire in support of the troops." Also, during the mid-1930's, narcotics smuggling, mostly opium, was on the increase, and long-legged, fairly fast cutters were needed to curtail it. This method would prove impossible for the women and children on board, so the cutter launched her motor surfboat that towed a 15-man raft to the Queen. Robert Scheina. The Casablanca section started joining the main convoy from Mediterranean ports. The Bibb launched a motor life boat to recover the men in the raft while Bibb was rolling up to 40-degrees in the heavy seas. The plane crashed into the starboard side of USS Pinkney (APH-2), a transport for the wounded. The USCGC Bibb (WPG-31) was a 327-foot (100 m) Secretary-Class (also known as "Treasury Class") Coast Guard ship commissioned in 1936. Many had edema of the hands, which resulted, it is believed, from the tight fit these rubber suits have about the wrist. Fire Control Radar: (1945) Mk-26; (1966) Mk-26 MOD 4. In 1981 Bibb conducted a six-week patrol that included two training stops and several rescues. The 5" battery expended seven rounds. The ship 327' and is laying on its starboard side, in 130' of water and it was a gr. At noon two boats were lowered and they began bringing 61 survivors aboard, including one naval officer and 23 enlisted men. On the 25th she proceeded to Argentia in company with USS SC-688 and USS SC-189. Although many of the Mallorys 498 passengers and crew died from hypothermia, the Bibbs crew pulled 202 survivors from the frigid water, while the Inghams crew saved 33. I hope I never see another drowned man as long as I live.". By noon on the 3rd the convoy was standing up the swept channel towards Reykjavik, Iceland. The Bibb changed course to join convoy HX-227. The Penmar had been torpedoed about 2200 on 22 September 1942 and had sunk in about 10 minutes. George Mortimer Bibb, born on 30 October 1776 in Prince Edward County, Va., graduated from both Hampden-Sidney and Willian and Mary Colleges and then, after studying law in the office of Richard Venable, was admitted to the Virginia Bar. At 0809, a large explosion was observed on a ship in the convoy. The Portent made a Hedgehog attack and dropped five depth charges on a sound contact one mile north of Bibb's attack. On 30 June 1981 Bibb sailed around Cape Hatteras and right into tropical storm Brett. At 0730 on 1 October a plane arrived to provide air coverage. Sonar: (1945) QC series; (1966) SQS-11. Rescue operations continued throughout forenoon, 202 survivors being taken from three lifeboats and numerous rafts. Her next ocean station assignment was during March-April 1952 when the Bibb served on Ocean Station Charlie and then in November-December 1952 she served on Ocean Station Echo. Once in South Vietnamese waters, she operated under the Cruiser-Destroyer Group of the U.S. Later she returned to the wreck and left it in a sinking condition from gun fire and depth charges. The Bibb was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her participation in "Operation Sea Lords" from October to December 1968. At 1340 on that date the smoke of the main body of Convoy ONS-169 was sighted and two of the escorted vessels joined that convoy. The plane disappeared in a smoke screen. The final 327-foot design was based on the Erie-class Navy gunboats; the machinery plant and hull below the waterline were identical. On the same day two vessels broke off for Europe Point and the convoy was joined by the Gibraltar section. Dropping a 600 lb. Part I [Escorts]. On the 11th the convoy became scattered about noon by winds of gale force and heavy seas but was reformed six hours later. February 2023; S M T W T F S They went on to serve as amphibious task force flagships, as search-and-rescue (SAR) ships during the Korean War, on weather patrol, and as naval gunfire support ships during Vietnam. The Duane was directed to stand by while repairs were made. Also on that day two British escorts detached. Grumman JF-2, USCG No. In the Vietnam War, the Bibb transported John Kerry after he was shot on his Swift boat. Shortly afterwards the convoy was secured from general quarters as the contact proved to be negative. The USCGC Bibb appeared in the 1952 film "Walk East on Beacon" at the film's climactic end. On August 6th Bibb expended 11 depth charges on a sound contact which was later evaluated as non-submarine. On 14 May Bibb was en route to Iceland as the flagship of Task Unit 24.6.2 with the USS Leary (DD-158) and USS Badger (DD-126). Various vessels near the path of the plane opened fire. On the 6th Bibb, together with USS MacLeish (DD-220) was relieved of further escort duty and departed the convoy setting a course for Argentia, where she arrived on the 7th. Three destroyer escorts left to escort three of these detached ships, two of the escorts returning on the 20th and 21st. No other enemy action took place in Bibb's vicinity during the rest of May and she remained anchored, continuing as flagship of COMINPAC. The ship . A training program for the personnel was in progress during this time. The 327s were an attempt to develop a 20-knot cutter capable of carrying an airplane in a hangar. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters& Craft, 1946-1990. On this particular visit the village came under enemy mortar fire just as Bibb's personnel were leaving. The ship was 327 feet in length, with a draft of 12 and a half feet. A few minutes later a vessel in the convoy fired a machine gun at a reported visual contact. On the 24th, the New York section of 19 ships detached with four escorts. In March-April 1956 she served on Ocean Station Bravo again and in June 1956 she served on Ocean Station Charlie. The, A few minutes later another raft was sighted dead ahead and two survivors of SS. The vessel fell off to northward and commenced drifting toward the convoy. From 1946 to 1973. At 2152 word was received that a vessel in the convoy had been torpedoed. She then proceeded to Hvalfjordur, returning to Reykjavik on the 5th. That evening gunfire was sighted on the horizon, presumed to be HMS Broadway in contact with an enemy submarine. Through your actions, you have significantly contributed to the United States efforts in countering communist aggression in the Republic of Vietnam." 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