USCGC Modoc (WPG-46)
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USCGC Modoc (WPG-46)
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Namesake: | Modoc Tribe |
| Builder: | Union Construction Company |
| Launched: | 1 October 1921 |
| Sponsored by: | Jean Lemard |
| Commissioned: | 14 January 1922 |
| Decommissioned: | 1 February 1947 |
| Fate: | scrapped by Ecuador in 1964 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,506 tons |
| Length: | 240 ft (73.2 m) |
| Beam: | 39 ft (11.9 m) |
| Draft: | 13' 2" |
| Propulsion: | 2 x Babcock & Wilcox, cross-drum type, 200 psi (1,400 kPa), 750°F superheat boilers, turbo-electric transmission |
| Complement: |
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| Sensors and processing systems: |
SF-1, SC-3 |
| Armament: | |
USCGC Modoc (WPG-46) was a 240-foot Tampa class United States Coast Guard cutter designed for multi-mission roles. She had a top speed of sixteen knots, and was armed with a pair of 5-inch deck guns. With the breakout of war she was armed with depth charges, additional guns, sonar, and radar and transferred to the Navy. Modoc, along with her sister ships USCGC Mojave (WPG-47) and USCGC Tampa (WPG-48) joined the Greenland Patrol.
The ship is most remembered for her role in the sinking of the Bismarck. According to British intelligence chief William Stephenson's biography, A Man Called Intrepid, the Modoc was rescuing survivors from torpedoed convoys in the Bay of Biscay when she came into visual contact with the Bismarck which hitherto had been lost to pursuing British forces. Based upon her position, a U.S. piloted PBY patrol bomber went on to locate the Bismarck in time for Ark Royal to launch the air attacks that ultimately disabled her and enabled the British fleet to catch up and sink her. Modoc ended up in the middle of the battle. Anti-aircraft fire from Bismarck came close to hitting the ship. In addition HMS Norfolk was about to fire on the cutter when HMS Prince of Wales identified her as US Coast Guard. Despite all of the hectic action around the ship, she survived the war.
Modoc was returned to the Treasury Department on December 1945, and served as a patrol cutter until decommissioning in 1947. She was sold to a private owner and was converted to a merchant ship steaming Central and South American waters. After changing hands several times, Modoc was finally scrapped in 1964.
Modoc was launched as a Coast Guard cutter by Union Construction Company in Oakland, California on 1 October 1921. She was sponsored by Jean Lemard. Modoc was placed in commission on 14 January 1922. She was one of four Tampa-class 240-foot cutters, the others being Haida, Mojave, and Tampa. These were the first USCG vessels with turbo-electric transmission and were the largest and most advanced cutters for their time.
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