USCGC White Heath

USS YF-445 was an American YF-257-class covered lighter built in 1943 for service in World War II. She was later acquired by the United States Coast Guard and renamed USCGC White Heath (WAGL-545).[1]

USCGC White Heath
History
United States
NameYF-445
BuilderErie Concrete & Steel Supply Co.
Laid down4 June 1943
Launched21 July 1943
Commissioned9 August 1944
Decommissioned1946
Identification
Honors and
awards		See Awards
FateTransferred to US Coast Guard, 1946
History
United States
NameWhite Lupine
NamesakeWhite Lupine
Acquired1946
Commissioned9 August 1947
Decommissioned31 March 1998
ReclassifiedWLM-545, 1960s
IdentificationHull number: WAGL-545
FateSold to Tunisia, 1998
History
Tunisia
NameTurgueness
Acquired1998
Commissioned10 June 1998
HomeportBizerte
IdentificationPennant number: A-805
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and type
Displacement600 t (591 long tons)
Length132 ft 10 in (40.49 m)
Beam30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Draft8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)
Range
  • 2,450 nmi (4,540 km; 2,820 mi) at 10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)
  • 2,830 nmi (5,240 km; 3,260 mi) at 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph)
Complement1 warrant, 20 crewmen (1947)

Construction and career

YF-445 was laid down by the Erie Concrete & Steel Supply Co., in Erie, Pennsylvania on 4 June 1943. She was launched on 21 July 1943. She was commissioned on 9 August 1944, with a single mast and boom hoist. 

On 9 August 1947 she was formally commissioned as a Coast Guard cutter and was christened White Heath and given the hull designation WAGL-545. She was then sent to the Coast Guard Yard for conversion to a buoy tender. Her deck arrangement was converted to include a large derrick to handle buoys and her upper deck was extended.

She was stationed throughout her Coast Guard career at Boston.  Her primary assignment was to tend aids to navigation although she was called upon to conduct other traditional Coast Guard duties, such as search and rescue, law enforcement or light icebreaking duties, as required.  

From 4 to 5 October 1960, she assisted after an Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 near Boston.

She was decommissioned on 31 March 1998 and was transferred to Tunisia in 1998 who commissioned her Turgueness (A-805) on 10 June 1998.[2]

Awards

References
  • This article contains public domain text from the United States Coats Guard Historian’s Office website.
  • http://www.uscg.mil/history/WEBCUTTERS/NPS_133_HAER_Report.pdf
  • Cutter History File. USCG Historian's Office, USCG HQ, Washington, D.C.
  • Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946–1990. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990.
  • U. S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. U.S. Coast Guard 133-foot (41 m) Buoy Tenders. HAER booklet. Washington, DC: National Park Service, February, 2004. [ HAER no. DC-57; Todd Croteau, HAER Industrial Archeologist (project leader); Jet Low, HAER Photographer; Mark Porter, NCSHPO Consultant (historian), and Candace Clifford, booklet design. ]
  1. "White Heath, 1947". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  2. "Eugenio´s Warships - Turgueness". www.losbarcosdeeugenio.com. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.