USCGC Klamath

USCGC Klamath (WHEC-66) was an Owasco-class high endurance cutter built for World War II service with the United States Coast Guard. The war ended before the ship was completed and consequently Klamath did not see wartime service until the Vietnam War.

USCGC Klamath (WHEC-66), 28 February 1966
History
United States
NamesakeKlamath Lake, Oregon
BuilderWestern Pipe & Steel
Yard numberWPS 153
Laid downDecember 1944
Launched2 September 1945
ChristenedKlamath
Commissioned5 September 1946
Decommissioned1 May 1973
ReclassifiedWPG-66 to WHEC-66
FateSold for scrap, 18 November 1974
NotesWPS Hull No. 153.
General characteristics
TypeOwasco-class cutter
Displacement
  • 1,978 full (1966)
  • 1,342 light (1966)
Length
  • 254 ft (77.4 m) oa.
  • 245 ft (74.7 m) pp.
Beam43 ft 1 in (13.1 m)
Draft17 ft 3 in (5.3 m) (1966)
Installed power4,000 shp (3,000 kW) (1945)
Propulsion1 x Westinghouse electric motor driven by a turbine, (1945)
Speed17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph).
Range
  • 6,157 mi (9,909 km) at 17 knots
  • 10,376 mi (16,699 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) (1966)
Complement10 officers, 3 warrants, 130 enlisted (1966)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Detection Radar: SPS-23, SPS-29, Mk 26, Mk 27 (1966)
  • Sonar: SQS-1 (1966)
Armament
NotesFuel capacity: 141,755 gal (Oil, 95%).
Logbook should be one word not two
USCG Klamath Logbook Cover: July 1–31, 1969

Klamath was built by Western Pipe & Steel at the company's San Pedro shipyard. Named after Klamath Lake, Oregon, she was commissioned as a patrol gunboat with ID number WPG-66 on 19 June 1946. Her ID was later changed to WHEC-66 (HEC for "High Endurance Cutter" - the "W" signifies a Coast Guard vessel).[1][2]

Peacetime service

Klamath was homeported at Seattle, Washington, from 19 June 1946 to 1 May 1973. She was used for law enforcement, ocean station, and search and rescue operations in the Pacific. Additionally, she also conducted Bering Sea Patrol annually.

From 20 to 24 March 1966, she inspected the Soviet MV Olyturka, which had sought haven in U.S. waters following a casualty. On 25 March 1966, the Japanese FV's Bansho Maru No. 38 and Tenyo Maru No. 3 were discovered in U.S. waters and escorted out.

January 1972, Klamath was dispatched from Alaskan patrol to render assistance to the Japanese
freighter Tenzan Maru, which was taking on water 800 miles west of Seattle.   Klamath crew
boarded the Tenzan Maru and installed temporary repairs, then escorted the freighter to
San Francisco.

Vietnam War

Klamath was assigned to Coast Guard Squadron Three, South Vietnam, from 14 May 1969 to 31 January 1970.

Return to peacetime duties

In February 1972, a boarding party from Klamath helped save the badly damaged MV Tenzan Maru and she was subsequently escorted to safety.

Decommissioning

Klamath was decommissioned on 1 May 1973 and was sold for scrap on 18 November 1974.

Footnotes
  1. "USCG Klamath" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard History Program. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  2. "USCG Designations". U.S. Coast Guard History Program. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 2012-12-17.

References
  • Klamath WHEC-66, United States' Coast Guard website.
  • Scheina, Robert L.: U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1981, pp. 1–3.
  • Scheina, Robert L.: U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946-1990 Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1990, pp. 18–26.
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