USRC Wissahickon

USRC Wissahickon
History
United States
Namesake	Wissahickon Creek
Builder	Spedden Company, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$69,800
Launched	11 June 1904
Commissioned	3 December 1904
Decommissioned	8 May 1935
Fate	Sold
Notes	As USCGC Wissahickon after 30 January 1915
General characteristics
Class & type	Winnisimmet-class
Type	harbor tug
Displacement	194 tons [1]
Length	96 ft 6 in (29.41 m)
Beam	20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
Draft	9 ft (2.7 m)
Installed power	Babcock & Wilcox water boiler, steam engine, 500 SHP
Propulsion	1 screw
Speed	12 knots (max)
Complement	11
Armament	none

USRC Wissahickon was one of two Winnisimmet-class harbor tugs constructed by Spedden Company for the Revenue Cutter Service. She was initially stationed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ^{[2] [1]} Ellsworth P. Bertholf served as captain of her from 9 November 1906 to 20 September 1907 in his first tour as a commanding officer. ^[3] Bertholf would later serve as the Commandant of the Coast Guard. ^[4] After the U.S. Coast Guard was formed in 1915, she was known as USCGC Wissahickon. In 1916, she was transferred to Baltimore, Maryland. The Navy assumed control of her from 6 April 1917 to 28 August 1919 during World War I. On 1 January 1923 she was transferred from Baltimore to New York City, where she remained in service until being decommissioned on 8 May 1935. ^{[2] [1]} On 8 May 1935 Wissahickon was decommissioned and later sold. ^[1]

Citations

1. Canney, p 60
2. Record of Movements, p 395
3. Kroll, pp 68–69
4. King, p 225

References used

• "Record of Movements, Vessels of the United States Coast Guard, 1790–December 31, 1933" (PDF). Historic Documents. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
• Canney, Donald L. (1995). U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790–1935. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN   978-1-55750-101-1.
• King, Irving H. (1996). The Coast Guard Expands, 1865–1915: New Roles, New Frontiers. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN   978-1-55750-458-6.
• Kroll, C. Douglas (2002). Commodore Ellsworth P. Bertholf: First Commandant of the Coast Guard. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN   978-1-55750-474-6.