USCGC Duane facts for kids

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|} The USCGC Duane (WPG-33/WAGC-6/WHEC-33) was a special ship called a cutter in the United States Coast Guard. It was also known as the USCGC William J. Duane. The ship was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its construction began on May 1, 1935.

The Duane was launched on June 3, 1936. Its main jobs were search and rescue and enforcing laws at sea. The "Treasury" class Coast Guard cutters were named after people who used to be Secretaries of the Treasury Department. The Duane was named after William J. Duane, who worked for President Andrew Jackson.

Contents

• The Duane's Journey

• The Duane in World War II
• After World War II
• Service in Vietnam and Later Years
• Retirement and New Purpose

History
United States
Name	USCGC Duane (WPG-33)
Namesake	William J. Duane
Builder	Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania
Cost	$2,468,460
Yard number	CG-67
Laid down	1 May 1935
Launched	3 June 1936
Commissioned	1 August 1936
Decommissioned	1 August 1985
Identification	Call sign: NRDD
Fate	Sunk as artificial reef off Key Largo, Florida 27 November 1987
General characteristics
Class and type	Treasury-class cutter
Displacement	2,350 long tons (2,388 t)
Length	327 ft (100 m)
Beam	41 ft (12 m)
Draft	12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Propulsion	2 × Westinghouse double-reduction geared turbine engines, 6,200 shp (4,623 kW) 2 × Babcock & Wilcox sectional express, air-encased, 400 psi, 200° superheat boilers 2 × 9 ft (2.7 m) three-bladed propellers
Speed	20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph)
Range	8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement	1937: 123 (12 officers, 4 warrants, 107 enlisted men) 1941: 223 (16 officers, 5 warrants, 202 enlisted men) 1966: 147 (10 officers, 3 warrants, 134 enlisted men)
Electronic warfare & decoys	1942: HF/DF 1945: SC-3 50 cm radar SGa 10 cm radar Mk.26 fire control radar QC series sonar 1966: AN/SPS-29D radar AN/SPS-52 radar Mk.26 MOD 4 fire control radar AN/SQS-11 sonar
Armament	1936: 2 × 5"/51 caliber guns 2 × 6-pounder guns 1 × 1-pounder gun 1941: 3 × 5"/51 caliber guns 3 × 3"/50 caliber guns 4 × .50 cal. Browning machine guns 1 × Y-gun depth charge projector 2 × depth charge racks 1943: 2 × 5"/51 caliber guns 4 × 3"/50 caliber guns 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 6 × K-gun depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge racks 1945: 2 × 5"/38 caliber guns 3 × twin Bofors 40 mm autocannon 4 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons 1946: 1 × 5"/38 caliber guns 1 × twin Bofors 40 mm autocannon 8 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 1966: 1 × 5"/38 caliber Mark 30 Mod 75 gun, Mark 52 Mod 3 director 1 × Mark 10-1 Hedgehog 2 × Mk 32 Mod 5 torpedo tubes, 4 × Mark 44 Mod 1 torpedoes 2 × .50 cal. M2 Browning machine guns 2 × Mark 13 high altitude parachute flare mortars
Aircraft carried	1938: Grumman JF-2 1941: Curtiss SOC-4
USCGC Duane (WPG-33)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Florida Show map of Florida Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Monroe County, Florida, USA
Nearest city	Key Largo
NRHP reference No.	02000494
Added to NRHP	May 16, 2002

• Awards and Honors

The Duane's Journey

After being built, the Duane left Philadelphia on October 16, 1936. It arrived in Oakland, California on November 24. The ship then went to Honolulu on December 9, 1936. There, it helped the U.S. with its efforts to settle the Line Islands in the Pacific.

The Duane returned to Oakland on February 25, 1937. For the next two years, it sailed to the Bering Sea for yearly patrols. In mid-1937, its name was made shorter to just Duane. In September 1939, it joined a group called Destroyer Division 18. They did "neutrality patrols" near the Grand Banks. These patrols were ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt.

The Duane left Oakland on September 7, 1939. It arrived at its new homeport of Boston on September 22, 1939. From October to December 1939, it completed four Grand Banks patrols. Its last patrol finished on January 12, 1940.

The Duane in World War II

USCGC Duane (WPG-33) off Greenland in 1940

The Duane was then sent to do weather patrols in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It also explored the western coast of Greenland in mid-1940. In late 1940, the ship got more weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-submarine guns.

On June 14, 1941, the Duane rescued 46 people. They were survivors from the British tanker Tresillian. This tanker had been sunk by a German submarine, U-77. On September 11, 1941, the Duane started working permanently with the U.S. Navy. It was given the number WPG-33.

On April 1, 1942, the Duane changed from weather patrols to escorting convoys. This happened during the battle of the Atlantic. Convoys were groups of ships traveling together for safety.

After World War II

After World War II, a program for ocean-weather stations was created. The Coast Guard was given the job of staffing these stations. The Duane and its sister ships were changed to become ocean station vessels. They were sent to new stations right away.

For about 20 years, the Duane and other ships took turns at different weather stations. These stations were named "Charlie," "Bravo," "Delta," and "Echo." They were located in the Atlantic Ocean. Later, these were simply called "ocean stations." Even though the crew might have found these patrols boring, they were very important. They helped make international air travel over the ocean safer. On May 1, 1965, all ships in its class were re-classified. The Duane became a high endurance cutter and was renamed WHEC-33.

Service in Vietnam and Later Years

USCGC Duane (WHEC-33) returning from Vietnam in 1968

On December 4, 1967, the Duane was sent to Coast Guard Squadron Three. This was off the coast of Vietnam. The Duane served as the main ship for the Coast Guard squadron there. It left Vietnamese waters permanently on July 28, 1968.

After Vietnam, the Duane went back to ocean station duty. However, this job was quickly becoming old-fashioned. The stations were closed in the early 1970s. New electronic navigation tools like LORAN had taken their place. The mid-1970s were a time of change for the Coast Guard. New laws like the Fisheries Conservation and Management Act were passed. The country also started to focus more on stopping smugglers. These new jobs meant the Duane had to do offshore patrols that could last up to three weeks.

Retirement and New Purpose

The Duane finished its service with the Coast Guard. It was officially taken out of service on August 1, 1985. At that time, it was the oldest active U.S. military ship. It stayed in Boston for the next two years.

Today, the Duane is a historic shipwreck near Key Largo, Florida, United States. The cutter was purposely sunk on November 27, 1987. This was done to create an artificial reef. It is located about a mile south of Molasses Reef. On May 16, 2002, the Duane was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.

Awards and Honors

The USCGC Duane received many awards for its service:

• Presidential Unit Citation
• American Campaign Medal
• World War II Victory Medal
• China Service Medal
• National Defense Service Medal with one battle star
• Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
• Vietnam Service Medal with two battle stars
• Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Vietnam Campaign
• American Defense Service Medal
• European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four battle stars
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four battle stars
• Navy Occupation Service Medal
• Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two battle stars
• Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and Frame Unit Citation