USCGC ''Reliance'' (WSC-150) was a steel-hulled single-screw of the United States Coast Guard. She served from 1927 to 1948.

Design

USCGC ''Reliance'' (WSC-150) was one of the 35-ship , designed to serve as a " mother ship" in support of Prohibition against bootleggers and smugglers along the coasts. The ship was built with the intention to follow and shadow smuggling vessels to push them away from American shores. They were meant to be able to stay at sea for long periods of time in any kinds of weather, and were able to expand berthing space via hammocks if the need arose, such as if a large amount of survivors were on board. She was built by the American Brown Boveri Electric Corporation of

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

, New Jersey, at a cost of $63,173. The cutter was launched on 18 April 1927 and commissioned on 26 April 1927. Like the rest of her class, she was long, with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

and a draft. A single gun was mounted as the offensive weapon at launch.

Service history

From commissioning to October 1928, the vessel performed patrol and rescue operations in the New York City Area. The ship was than reassigned to

Stapleton, New York Stapleton is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. It is located along the waterfront of Upper New York Bay, roughly bounded on the north by Tompkinsville at Grant Street, on the south by Clifton at ...

to patrol the lower

New York Bay New York Bay is the large tidal body of water in the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary where the Hudson River, Raritan River, and Arthur Kill empty into the Atlantic Ocean between Sandy Hook and Rockaway Point. Geography New York Bay is usu ...

through May 1933. On 22 May 1933 she was transferred to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

to continue duties. At an unknown date in late 1935, she was stationed to Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. ''Reliance'' inspected the French Frigate Shoals in March 1936. The ship was transferred to the United States Navy under Executive Order 8929 of 1 November 1941.

Second World War service and loss of USS ''S-28''

''Reliance'' was operating out of Honolulu, Hawaii at the outbreak of World War II and was subsequently assigned to search and rescue duties at the base in Cordova, Alaska. Off the coast of Johnston Island, ''Reliance''

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

d a submarine contact in the spring of 1944. On 3 July 1944 the ship and submarine engaged in target practice. The submarine acted as a target for anti-submarine vessels until 1700 local time. The next day ''S-28'' conducted sonar and torpedo passes on the cutter. At 1730 the submarine dived from ''Reliance'' before contact was lost. No detectable signs of distress were found. At 1830 communication was attempted to be established without success. Former tests have shown gear noise should be heard up to out, yet contact was not established. At 2000 other vessels from Pearl Harbor were contacted, and a search initiated. The only sign found was an oil slick before the search was called off during afternoon of 6 July 1944. A Court Inquiry investigated the sinking found the vessel sank at 1820 on 4 July 1944 in of water, without a cause being identified. Reliance was returned to the Department of the Treasury on 1 January 1946 and served with the Coast Guard until it was decommissioned on 8 August 1947. The vessel was sold 16 June 1948 with possible use as a civilian fishing ship off Alaska.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reliance, USCGC 1927 ships Active-class patrol boats Ships built in Camden, New Jersey Brown, Boveri & Cie