USCGC McLane (WSC-146)

USCGC McLane (WSC-146) was a 125 ft (38 m) United States Coast Guard Active-class patrol boat in commission from 1927 to 1971. She was named for Louis McLane, (1786–1857) who was appointed in 1833 as United States Secretary of State. In May 1966, she was redesignated as (WMEC-146).

Active class patrol boat, 1962
History
United States
Name: USCGC McLane
Namesake: Louis McLane
Operator:
  • U.S. Coast Guard
  • (1927-1941)
  • (1946-1968)
  • U.S. Navy
  • (1941-1946)
  • Sea Scouts
  • (1968-1993)
  • Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum
  • (1993-present)
Builder: American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation, Camden, New Jersey
Cost: US$63,163
Launched: 22 March 1927
Commissioned: 6 April 1927
Decommissioned: 31 December 1968
Identification: Pennant number: WSC/WMEC-146
Fate: Donated to Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum
Status: Museum ship at Muskegon
General characteristics
Class and type: Active-class patrol boat
Displacement: 232 tons (trial)
Length: 125 ft (38 m)
Beam: 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Draft: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Installed power: After 1938 re-engining: 1,200 brake horsepower (0.9 megawatt)
Propulsion:
  • As built: Two 6-cylinder 300 brake horsepower diesel engines
  • After 1938 re-engining: Two 800 brake horsepower General Motors diesel engines
Speed:
  • As built: 10 knots
  • In 1945: 12 knots (maximum); 7 knots (economical)
Range: In 1945: 2,900 nautical miles (5,370 kilometers) at 10 knots; 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 kilometers) at 7 knots
Complement:
  • 20 (3 officers, 17 enlisted men) (1930)
  • 46 (5 officers, 41 men) (1945)
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Sonar (1945) QCO-1
  • Detection radar (1960) SPS-23
Armament:
  • In 1927: 1 x 3-inch (76.2-millimeter) 23-caliber gun
  • In 1941: 2 x depth charge tracks
  • In 1945: 1 x 3-inch (76.2-mm) 23-caliber gun , 2 x single 20-mm 80-caliber gun mounts, 2 x depth charge tracks, 2 x Mousetraps1 x 3-inch (76.2-mm) 23-caliber gun1 x 3-inch (76.2-mm) 23-caliber gun
  • In 1960: 1 x single 40-mm 60-caliber antiaircraft gun mount
U.S.C.G.C. McLane
LocationMuskegon, Michigan
Coordinates
Built1941
NRHP reference No.72000453[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP18 October 1972
Designated NHL14 January 1962[2]

Development and design

Alert-class were designed for trailing the "mother ships" along the outer line of patrol during Prohibition. They were constructed at a cost of $63,173 each. They gained a reputation for durability that was only enhanced by their re-engining in the late 1930s; their original 6-cylinder diesels were replaced by significantly more powerful 8-cylinder units that used the original engine beds and gave the vessels an additional 3 knots. All served in World War II, but two, the Jackson and Bedloe, were lost in a storm in 1944. Ten were refitted as buoy tenders during the war and reverted to patrol work afterward.

Originally designated WPC, for patrol craft, they were re-designated WSC, for sub chaser, in February 1942, during World War II. The "W" appended to the SC (Sub Chaser) designation identified vessels as belonging to the U.S. Coast Guard. Those remaining in service in May 1966 were re-designated as medium endurance cutters, WMEC.[3]

Construction and career

McLane was laid down and launched by American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation, Camden on 22 March 1927. She was commissioned on 6 April 1927.[4]

Her command was transferred to the US Navy in 1941 until 1946.

Throughout World War 2, she patrolled the Bering Strait, and in July 1942 she and multiple other ships participated in the sinking of Japanese submarine Ro-32. Notably, she too rescued a crew of a downed Lockheed Electra in February 1943.[5]

In May 1966, she was redesignated as WMEC-146 and was decommissioned on 31 December 1968. She then became a training ship for the Sea Scouts.

USCGC McLane was preserved and donated to the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum in Muskegon, Michigan, since 1993.[6] She is currently berthed behind USS Silversides (SS-236).

Awards

See also

Rum Patrol

    Citations
    1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 15 April 2008.
    2. "McLane, USCGC (Cutter)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
    3. "WPC125 Active Cutters (1927)". Retrieved 1 January 2012.
    4. "USCGC McLane (WSC-146) commissioned - MuseumShips". museumships.us. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
    5. Yeoman. "Your most complete source for Museum Ships Worldwide!". museumships.us. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
    6. "Historic Naval Ships Visitors Guide - USCGC McLane". archive.hnsa.org. Retrieved 26 November 2020.

    References
    • Canney, Donald L. (1995). U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790–1935. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-55750-101-1.
    • Flynn, Jim; Lortz, Ed; Lukas, Holger (March 2018). "Answer 39/48". Warship International. LV (January 2018): 23–25. ISSN 0043-0374.
    • Johnson, Robert Irwin (1987). Guardians of the Sea, History of the United States Coast Guard, 1915 to the Present. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-0-87021-720-3.
    • Scheina, Robert L. (1982). U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-0-87021-717-3.
    • Scheina, Robert L. (1990). U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946–1990. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-0-87021-719-7.

    Websites


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