USCG Taney in Baltimore November 30, 2019
This 327x41ft (100×12.5m) Treasury class Coast Guard Cutter was built in 1936 by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for the United States Coast Guard.
She has had an extensive and varied history during her 50 years of active service. In 1937 she was homeported to Honolulu in what was then the Territory of Hawaii where she conducted a variety of operations.
Over her various careers she had as few as 10 and as many as 16 officers and as few as 107 enlisted and as many as 200.
In 1940 she underwent a rearmement at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, then a refit in 1941 at Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California. She was then attached to Navy Destroyer Division 80 back in Honolulu.
During the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 the Taney was moored alongside Pier 6 in Honolulu Harbor and used her anti-aircraft guns on Japanese aircraft attacking nearby Pearl Harbor. Of the 101 warships involved in that day’s fighting the Taney is the only one still afloat.
She conducted operations in the Pacific Theater including searching for survivors of the Battle of Midway. She got new orders to head to Boston, stopping to re-gun at Mare Island where she was armed with 4 turrets of the type she still has one of today with a 5″/38 caliber gun. She made port in Boston March 14, 1944.
She conducted 3 round trip convoy escort missions to Europe and back until she was sent to Boston Navy Yard to convert her to an Amphibious Command Ship. 1945 saw her return to the Pacific Theater where she undertook a number of missions and earned the 3 fighter and 1 bomber kills marked on her superstructure.
After the end of World War II she went to Charleston, South Carolina and was reconfigured as a patrol cutter and sent in 1946 to Alameda, California where she was based until 1972. She served primarily as an ocean station weather ship. The exception being from 1968 to 1971 when she participated in the Vietnam War.
In 1972 she home ported to Norfolk, Virginia and resumed her ocean station weather duties. In the mid 1970s she shifted to narcotic smuggling interdiction until her decommissioning on December 7, 1986 and turned over to Baltimore, Maryland as a museum ship.
In 1988 this ship was added to the National Register of Historic Places and also a National Historic Landmark.
She rests today at pier 5 and is one of 4 ships and one lighthouse that are a part of Historic Ships in Baltimore. I discovered from a sign next to the boarding ramp that they have engine room tours at 3pm. I wasn’t able to do the one this day but will definitely be making a return to do that.
The visit starts from boarding just aft her midsection where a museum staffer directs you through a door in the rear of the superstructure which leads to steps down one level. Just aft the steps is an area which includes a pair of officer berths.
Moving forward through the ship the ward area is encountered with meal and seating space for officers.
Going forward some more the machinery area is found which includes a small peek into the engine room below.
Ahead some more is the mess area for enlisted.
Then the racks for the enlisted.
Then the loading area for the hoist leading to the 5″/38 caliber gun turret above.
Going up one deck the small arms room is open for display.
As well as the barber.
And the ship’s store.
Just before exited onto the weather deck the enlisted kitchen is visible through a grate. Food is delivered below via a dumb waiter.
Out onto the weather deck a view Northward along Market Street is afforded of Baltimore.
The deck gun’s hatch is open to provide a peek inside.
The deck gun itself.
Climbing up to the bridge level provides a peek along the side of the ship.
The bridge itself is smaller than I would have thought it would be, but clearly did the job for 50 years.
The last two rooms I peeked into were the radio room
and sick bay. Be sure to visit this ship on your next visit to downtown Baltimore!
Information sources: Wikipedia, Historic Naval Ships Association, Historic Ships in Baltimore, Hawaii Department of Transportation. Also see more photos I took on and of this ship by clicking here. Check out a small video I got of the exterior below.