USCGC Courier (WAGR-410)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

USCGC Courier (WAGR/WAT-410) was a cutter in the United States Coast Guard.

Originally launched in 1945 as the M/V Coastal Messenger, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Courier was a joint operation between the United States State Department and the United States Coast Guard. For twelve years during the 1950's and 1960's, she served as a portion of the Voice of America radio network during the Cold War, at a time when the Soviet Union had attempted to jam portions of the network. Courier contained the most powerful communications radio transmitter ever installed onboard a ship, an RCA 150-kilowatt mediumwave transmitter, as well as two 35-kilowatt shortwave transmitters. She also held the record for longest deployment overseas - from 17 July 1952 to 13 August 1964, she spent no time in United States territorial waters.

She was decommisioned upon her return to Yorktown, Virginia, and later used as a training vessel from 1966 to 1972.

It has sometimes been claimed that the Courier's offshore broadcasts directly inspired such offshore pirate radio stations as Radio Mercur and Radio Caroline.

The Courier initially used a balloon to raise its mediumwave antenna, but on more than one occasion the balloon broke free. Eventually it was decided to replace the ballon with a mast-supported wire antenna. A balloon-raised antenna was also attempted by the pirate Laser 558 in 1984, with similar results.