USCGC Mohawk (WMEC-913)

USCGC "Mohawk" (WMEC-913) is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. She was launched September 9, 1989 at Robert Derecktor Shipyard Incorporated of Middletown, Rhode Island and commissioned March 1991. She is the third cutter named for the Mohawk nation, an Algonquin tribe of Iroquoian Indians who lived in the Mohawk Valley of New York.

History

The original MOHAWK (1902-1917), a first class, 205-foot, steel revenue cruiser was built in Richmond, Virginia, and commissioned on May 10th, 1904. She was used primarily as a training ship. In October 1917 she was struck by another vessel and sank off Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

The second MOHAWK (1935-1948), a 165-foot, “A” class cutter, was built in Wilmington, Delaware and commissioned on January 19th, 1935. In 1941 by Executive Order of the President she was assigned to the "Greenland Patrol" as a convoy escort ship operating out of Blue West One, Greenland. She did 36 convoys and was involved in 14 U-Boat incidents. On January 8th, 1948, MOHAWK was decommissioned and was used as a pilot boat on the Delaware River for more than 30 years. She has since been restored to her WWII status and serves as floating museum located in Key West, Florida and, as of December 16, 2006, harbored at Memorial Park, Truman Annex. The website is: www.ussmohawk.org

Active Cutter

The third and current MOHAWK is the thirteenth and last of the 270-foot “Famous” class cutters. Built by the former Robert E. Derecktor Shipyards of Rhode Island, MOHAWK was christened on September 9th, 1989. Since the time of her commissioning in March 1991, she has served the Coast Guard in a wide variety of missions including Search and Rescue, Maritime Law Enforcement, and Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations. MOHAWK has been responsible for the rescue of more than 5,000 Haitian, Cuban, and Dominican Republic migrants and has supported as many as 756 migrants on deck at one time. MOHAWK has also seized more than 20,700 pounds of illegal drugs. This, as well as MOHAWK’s role in several search and rescue cases and numerous boardings to enforce our nation’s laws, has earned MOHAWK two Unit Commendations, the Joint Meritorious Service Award and two Humanitarian Service Awards. MOHAWK is homeported in Key West, Florida.

Resources

*A HDTV documentary called " [http://www.calcote.com/mohawk/synop.htm A Day in the Life of the Mohawk] " shows the Famous class cutter patrolling the United States south coastal region in February and March 1999.

External links

* [http://www.fredsplace.org/images/mohawk/|USCGC MOHAWK - UNITAS Deployment Journal]
* [http://www.hnsa.org/ships/mohawk.htm HNSA Ship Page: USCGC Mohawk]