I’m starting a scratch build of the 255 ft class CG cutter as built at the end of WW2. Anyone have any photos or drawings that might help me? I have the line drawings from Loyalhanna Dockyard and all the photos I could find on the internet. Anyone have any other sources? Thanks. Bill V.
So, if I’m reading this correctly, the design was originally to be 327 feet long and then shortened to 316, and accepted at 255’, supposedly so it could fit through the locks in the St Lawrence Seaway. It looks quite similar to an early destroyer design, except shorter, so I think that that is where I’d start. But, as is commonly the case, I could be mistaken . . .!
There used to be some good info on the USCG Historians page. It looks to have been removed. However a piece on the Owasco-class was saved on the Wayback Machine
HooYah Deep Sea, was not the locks of the Saint Lawrence but the Welland Canal.
" The second is that their length was determined by the maximum length that could pass through the locks of the Welland Canal from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River. The Great Lakes shipbuilding industry brought pressure on Congress to ensure that it had the potential to bid on the contract."
Roger that, my bad. Thanks.
Now ‘circling back’, so is there a destroyer / destroyer escort / etc. of that era, in the 327 - 316 foot length, with similar characteristics that could be converted to that class of cutter? Just thinking out loud.
Thanks for the link. Got a couple of pics I didn’t have.
Eight 255’s were built by Western Pipe & Steel and five by the CG Yard at Curtis Bay, MD. Eighteen 311’s were originally built for the USN as seaplane tenders and later transferred to the CG for Ocean Station duties.
Hi;
Just thought I would mention. It looks like she had main Armaments changed out for Single 5"38 guns in the Viet Years. the early photo on " wayback machine site Shows the same guns That Gearings and Sumners had which were Dual-Multi-Purpose 5"38Cal Mounts. The Singles seem to be the same as the ones found on Fletchers and early Secretary Class Cutters!
To my sea weary eyes, she’s a rather attractive ship for her oddity. Nice simple Sheer and Higher than a destroyer freeboard aft.
CGC PONCHARTRAIN (WPG 70) was on Ocean Station November in October 1956. She rescued the passengers and crew of a PanAm Clipper that ditched. Here’s a video of the rescue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMk8z3h2QC8