The History of USCGC SPAR
|
The History of USCGC SPAR |
Many cutters given the name of previous cutters have a history
of several successive cutters. SPAR is unique in that it is named
for two previous Coast Guard entities serving at the same time,
the women's reserve and a cutter.
SPAR's second namesake is the Coast Guard Cutter SPAR. Most of
SPAR's story is made up of meeting the day-to-day challenges of
the Coast Guard's operational missions. But in more than fifty
years of seagoing life, SPAR did have a number of moments that
have enriched our service's history. They have also provided a
heritage for those who will serve aboard her namesake, the cutter
that we will launch today.
The original CGC SPAR was named after the women's reserve and
launched at the Marine Iron and Ship building Company in Duluth,
Minnesota on November 21, 1943. She was commissioned on June 12,
1944, and stationed in Boston, Massachusetts. SPAR was quickly
directed to assist in the war effort. She participated in convoy
duty in support of anti-submarine warfare off the coast of
Brazil.
At the close of the war, SPAR returned to New England. In
December of 1946, she changed her homeport to Wood's Hole,
Massachusetts. SPAR served 11 years there before changing
homeports to Bristol, Rhode Island in June 1953.
That year, SPAR conducted hydrographic operations throughout the
Northwest Passage in company with the cutters STORIS and BRAMBLE.
When she returned to her homeport in Bristol, RI, she was the
first vessel to circumnavigate the North American continent.
President Eisenhower sent his personal congratulations for this
accomplishment.
With most of the Western Hemisphere transits already made, SPAR
crossed the Atlantic in 1966. Her destination was Spitsbergen,
Norway where she was called upon to measure the ocean topography
in the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone area. During this voyage, she
logged more than 17,000 miles while visiting ports in Iceland,
Norway, Denmark, Germany, and Ireland.
In April of 1967, SPAR changed homeports once again and return ed
to Boston, Massachusetts. Once there, the captains and crews of
SPAR and CACTUS traded cutters. SPAR remained in Boston until
March 1973, when she was reassigned to her last homeport in
Portland, Maine.
During the 1970's, the Coast Guard's mission profile changed, and
SPAR kept pace with the new operations. She played a key role in
the massive oil spill cleanup operations after the tanker ARGO
MERCHANT ran aground off Cape Cod in 1976, acting as the test
platform for various attempts to clean up the spill. SPAR
received a Letter of Commendation from the Commandant of the
Coast Guard.
In 1981, SPAR set the record for a buoy tender by receiving the
highest mark ever attained at Refresher Training at Little Creek,
VA. She returned to Little Creek in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1992,
and 1995, and continued to receive outstanding marks, proudly
displaying the Gold "E" with three service stripes for
nine consecutive overall excellent scores in operations and
seamanship training.
These historical events notwithstanding, SPAR was a working ship,
a Class "C" Seagoing Buoy Tender. Her overall length
was 180 feet, with a beam of 37 feet. She had an ice reinforced
steel hull with a displacement of 1025 tons. She was powered by a
diesel-electric propulsion plant driving a single propeller with
a total of 1200 horsepower. She could reach a maximum speed of
twelve knots. Her working operations area was servicing aids to
navigation from Ports mouth, New Hampshire to the northeastern
tip of Maine, a distance of more than 227 miles. Most of her time
was dedicated to servicing about 200 floating aids, as well as
providing logistical support to seven lighthouses. In the winter
she carried out icebreaking operations in Cape Cod Canal,
Buzzard's Bay, and performed an annual lighthouse maintenance
project for her operational area. She attended Refresher Training
in Little Creek, VA every eighteen to twenty-four months, and
spent time at the CG Yard biannually. Her normal complement of
personnel was seven officers and forty-two enlisted.
From her homeport in South Portland, Maine, SPAR serviced an
operational area that includes some of the most scenic coastline
in the country. She worked among hundreds of islands, mostly
uninhabited, that are scattered along the coast of Maine. The
treacherous shoals, ledges, and currents, as well as the
ever-changing weather, made for challenging navigation and
piloting to ensure that the all-important buoys were always on
station and working properly.
SPAR was decommissioned on February 28, 1997.
Email
for more information.
414 Orange Street, Beaufort, NC 28516
(p) 252- 728-2265
(f) 252- 728-2581
| Click here to return to home page. |
 |