USCGC Escanaba (WPG-77)

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Career (United States)

Builder:	Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan
Commissioned:	November 23, 1932
Fate:	Sunk 13 June 1943
General characteristics
Displacement:	1,005 LT (1,021 t/1,126 ST)
Length:	165 ft (50 m)
Beam:	36 ft (11 m)
Draft:	12 ft (3.7 m)
Speed:	13 kn (24 km/h/15 mph)
Complement:	105
Armament:	2 × 3-in. guns (2x1), 3 × 20mm AA guns (3x1)

The United States Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba (WPG-77) was built at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan in 1932. She was commissioned on November 23, 1932 in Grand Haven, Michigan, which prior to World War II, would be her permanent station. Escanaba's primary missions were ice breaking and search and rescue on the Great Lakes. In 1941, Escanaba was assigned to the Greenland patrol, performing escort duty and search and rescue operations in the North Atlantic.

On 15 June 1942, while escorting convoy XB-25 from Cape Cod to Halifax, she had two submarine contacts, and made attacks. No sinkings were confirmed. After these attacks, the ship rescued 20 people from the SS Cherokee, which had been sunk by a U-boat. On February 3, 1943, she rescued 132 people from the USAT Dorchester, which was also sunk by a U-boat. In June 1942, Escanaba was credited with the sinking of two submarines in a single day.

From 1 July until 23 August 1942, she was on weather patrol.

On 10 June 1943, she began escorting convoy GS-24 from Narsarssuak to St. John's, Newfoundland, in company with the Mojave (Flag), Tampa, Storis, and Algonquin, the convoy consisting of USAT Fairfax and USS Raritan.

At 0510 on the 13 June, dense black and yellow smoke was reported rising from the Escanaba. She sank at 0513. Storis and Raritan were ordered to investigate and rescue survivors while the rest of the convoy began zigzagging and steering evasive courses to avoid submarines. At 0715 the two cutters returned, having rescued two survivors and found the body of Lt. Robert H. Prause, which was retrieved by the Raritan. No explosion had been heard by the other escort vessels. The entire crew of 103 was lost with the exception of these two men.

The exact cause of the explosion was unknown at the time. After the war, it was determined that it was a torpedo from a U-boat that had sunk the Escanaba.