Casco - class cutter The " Casco " class was a large class of United States Coast Guard cutters in commission from the late 1940s through the late 1980s . They saw service as weather reporting ships in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans until the early 1970s , and some saw combat service during the Vietnam War . Design . Between 1941 and 1946 , the United States Navy acquired 35 " Barnegat " - class small seaplane tenders , designated " AVP " in the Navys alphanumeric hull numbering system and designed to logistically and administratively support a squadron of flying boat s operating from undeveloped areas and , with a substantial anti - air , antisurface , and antisubmarine capability , to escort larger seaplane tenders . Most of them served during World War II , although even during the war the Navy determined the number of " Barnegat " s to be surplus to requirements ; as a result , one was completed as a catapult training ship for Navy floatplane pilots ( retaining its " AVP " designation ) and four were converted during construction into motor torpedo boat tender s , redesignated " AGP " . After World War II , the Navy had a surplus of seaplane tenders , and the Coast Guard was looking for ships to serve on ocean station s in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on weather - reporting duties , also performing law enforcement and search and rescue operations as required . The " Barnegat " s were reliable , long - ranged , and seaworthy , and had good habitability , and , suitably modified , were good candidates to meet the Coast Guards requirements ; in the words of the Coast Guards assessment of the " Barnegat " s , " The workmanship on the vessel is generally quite superior to that observed on other vessels constructed during the war . The vessel has ample space for stores , living accommodations , ships , offices and recreational facilities . The main engine system is excellent . . . . The performance of the vessel in moderate to heavy seas is definitely superior to that of any other cutter . This vessel can be operated at higher speed without storm damage than other Coast Guard vessels . " Acquisition and modifications . The Navy transferred three of the seaplane tenders outright to the Coast Guard in 1946 ; they entered service that year and in 1947 . The Navy loaned twelve more seaplane tenders , the catapult training ship , and two of the motor torpedo boat tenders to the Coast Guard in 1948 , and these entered Coast Guard service in 1948 and 1949 ; in 1966 , the Navy transferred these ships outright to the Coast Guard as well . Of the ships the Coast Guard received , two had been built by the Boston Navy Yard at Boston , Massachusetts , and the rest in the state of Washington : three by Associated Shipbuilders , Inc . , at Seattle , ten by Lake Washington Shipyard at Houghton , and three by the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton . Once they were accepted into Coast Guard service , a number of changes were made to prepare the ships for ocean - station duty . A balloon shelter was added aft , a hydrographic winch and an oceanographic winch were installed , and spaces on board were devoted to oceanographic equipment . Classification . Under the alphanumeric hull classification system in use at the time , Coast Guard cutters transferred from the Navy retained their Navy classification , with a " W " added to the beginning of the classification to indicate their Coast Guard subordination . The former seaplane tenders and the former catapult training ship thus all received the classification " WAVP " ; the two former motor torpedo boat tenders ( AGPs ) , which reverted to their original " AVP " designation before transfer to the Coast Guard , also entered Coast Guard service as WAVPs . The only exception was " Dexter " , which initially was designated WAGC - 18 , but soon received a WAVP designation like the others . In 1965 , " Rockaway " , uniquely among the " Casco " s , was reclassified as an " oceanographic " ship , WAGO - 377 . In 1966 the Coast Guard reclassified all of the " Casco " s — including " Rockaway " — as high endurance cutter s and changed their classification to " WHEC " . The ships retained the same hull numbers they had had as WAVPs . Some " Casco " s later underwent additional classification changes as their roles changed in their final years in service . " Unimak " was a training ship ( WTR - 379 ) from 1969 to 1975 before reverting to her WHEC classification , " Gresham " became a " meteorological cutter " ( WAGW - 387 ) in 1970 , and " Rockaway " became an " offshore law enforcement vessel " ( WOLE - 377 ) in 1971 . Naming . The class was named for USCGC " Casco " ( WAVP - 370 ) , later WHEC - 370 , the unit with the lowest Coast Guard alphanumeric hull number . The three ships transferred outright to the Coast Guard in 1946 were given new names upon commissioning in the Coast Guard , being named after U . S . Secretaries of the Treasury . The 15 ships loaned to the Coast Guard in 1948 retained their original Navy names , and were named for islands , bay s , and inlets , around the United States and the then - Territory of Alaska . Operations . The first three ships entered service in 1946 and 1947 , with the rest following in 1948 and 1949 . Apart from " Dexter " , which was out of commission for several years in the 1950s , all remained active without break until the late 1960s and early 1970s , and one , " Unimak " , after a brief period out of commission in the mid - 1970s , remained in service until 1988 . All saw service as weather - reporting ships on ocean station patrols until the late 1960s and early 1970s except " Dexter " , which became the Coast Guards United States West Coast training ship after returning to commission in 1958 . The " Casco " s had a variety of fates . The Navy sank five as targets in 1968 and 1969 , and five others were scrapped in the early 1970s . The last survivor in Coast Guard service , " Unimak " , was scuttled to form an artificial reef . Seven ships were transferred to South Vietnam in 1971 and 1972 . When South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 , six fled to the Philippines , where two were cannibalized for spare parts and the other four entered service in the Philippine Navy , operating until the mid - 1980s . The seventh ship , the former " Absecon " , was captured by North Vietnam , appears to have remained active in the Vietnam People ' s Navy into the 1990s , and may remain afloat today as the last surviving " Barnegat " - or " Casco " - class ship . Ships . USCGC " Casco " ( WAVP - 370 , WHEC - 370 ) . " Casco " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Casco " ( AVP - 12 ) from 1941 to 1947 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1949 and commissioned that year . She was stationed at Boston , Massachusetts , throughout her Coast Guard career , performing ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated WHEC - 370 in 1966 , she was decommissioned in 1969 . The U . S . Navy sank her as a target later that year . USCGC " Mackinac " ( WAVP - 371 , WHEC - 371 ) . " Mackinac " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Mackinac " ( AVP - 13 ) from 1942 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1949 and commissioned that year . She was stationed at New York City throughout her Coast Guard career , performing ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated WHEC - 371 in 1966 , she was decommissioned in 1967 . The U . S . Navy sank her as a target in 1968 . USCGC " Humboldt " ( WAVP - 372 , WHEC - 372 ) . " Humboldt " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Humboldt " ( AVP - 21 ) from 1941 to 1947 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1949 and commissioned that year . She was stationed at Boston , Massachusetts , from 1949 to 1966 and at Portland , Maine from 1966 to 1969 , performing ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic throughout her career . Redesignated WHEC - 372 and transferred permanently to the Coast Guard in 1966 , she was decommissioned in 1969 and sold for scrapping in 1970 . USCGC " Matagorda " ( WAVP - 373 , WHEC - 373 ) . " Matagorda " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Matagorda " ( AVP - 22 ) from 1941 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1949 and commissioned that year . She was stationed at Boston , Massachusetts , from 1949 to 1954 , performing ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic , and at Honolulu , Hawaii , from 1954 to 1967 , performing ocean station patrols in the Pacific . Redesignated WHEC - 373 in 1966 , she was decommissioned in 1967 . The U . S . Navy sank her as a target in 1969 . USCGC " Absecon " ( WAVP - 374 , WHEC - 374 ) . " Absecon " served as the U . S . Navy catapult training ship USS " Absecon " ( AVP - 23 ) from 1943 to 1947 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1949 and commissioned that year . She was stationed at Norfolk , Virginia , throughout her Coast Guard career , performing ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated WHEC - 374 and transferred permanently to the Coast Guard in 1966 , she was decommissioned in 1972 and transferred to South Vietnam , becoming the patrol vessel RVNS " Pham Ngu Lao " ( HQ - 15 ) . Captured by North Vietnam upon the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975 , she became the patrol vessel PRVSN " Pham Ngu Lao " ( HQ - 01 ) in the Vietnam People ' s Navy and may have remained an active unit until into the 1990s . Her current status is unclear , although she may remain afloat as the last surviving " Barnegat " - or " Casco " - class ship . USCGC " Chincoteague " ( WAVP - 375 , WHEC - 375 ) . " Chincoteague " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Chincoteague " ( AVP - 24 ) from 1943 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1949 and commissioned that year . She was stationed at Norfolk , Virginia , throughout her Coast Guard career , performing ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated WHEC - 375 and transferred permanently to the Coast Guard in 1966 , she was decommissioned in 1972 and transferred to South Vietnam , becoming the patrol vessel RVNS " Ly Thuong Kiet " ( HQ - 16 ) . Upon the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975 , she fled to the Philippines , where she served as the frigate BRP " Andres Bonifacio " ( PF - 7 ) until 1985 . USCGC " Coos Bay " ( WAVP - 376 , WHEC - 376 ) . " Coos Bay " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Coos Bay " ( AVP - 25 ) from 1943 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1949 and commissioned that year . She was stationed at Portland , Maine , throughout her Coast Guard career , performing ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated WHEC - 376 and permananelty transferred to the Coast Guard in 1966 , she was decommissioned later that year . The U . S . Navy sank her as a target in 1968 . USCGC " Rockaway " ( WAVP - 377 , WAGO - 377 , WHEC - 377 , WOLE - 377 ) . " Rockaway " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Rockaway " ( AVP - 29 ) from 1943 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1948 and commissioned in 1949 . She was stationed at Staten Island in New York City throughout her Coast Guard career . Until 1965 , her main duty was to serve on ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated as an " oceanographic ship , " WAGP - 377 , in 1965 , she became more involved in oceanographic survey work . Redesignated WHEC - 377 and permanently transferred to the Coast Guard in 1966 , she was again reclassified as a " offshore law - enforcement vessel , " WOLE - 377 , in 1971 . She was decommissioned in 1972 and sold for scrapping . USCGC " Half Moon " ( WAVP - 378 , WHEC - 378 ) . " Half Moon " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Half Moon " ( AVP - 26 ) from 1943 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1948 and commissioned the same year . She was stationed at Staten Island and Governors Island in New York City throughout her Coast Guard career . Her main duty was to serve on ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated WHEC - 378 and permanently transferred to the Coast Guard in 1966 , she served one combat tour in Vietnam during the Vietnam War in 1967 as a part of Coast Guard Squadron Three . She was decommissioned in 1969 and sold for scrapping in 1973 . USCGC " Unimak " ( WAVP - 379 , WHEC - 379 , WTR - 379 , WHEC - 379 ) . " Unimak " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Unimak " ( AVP - 31 ) from 1943 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1948 and commissioned in 1949 . She was stationed at Boston , Massachusetts , from 1949 to 1954 ; at Cape May , New Jersey , New Jersey , from 1954 to 1972 ; and at Yorktown , Virginia , from 1972 to 1975 , her main duty being to serve on ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Redesignated WHEC - 379 and permanently transferred to the Coast Guard in 1966 , she reclassified as a training ship and redesignated again as WTR - 379 in 1969 . She was decommissioned in 1975 . Recommissioned in 1977 and again designated WHEC - 379 , she was stationed at New Bedford , Massachusetts , for the remainder of her Coast Guard career , focusing primarily on fisheries patrols in the Atlantic and law enforcement operations in the Caribbean . She was decommissioned in 1988 and scuttled to form an artificial reef . USCGC " Yakutat " ( WAVP - 380 , WHEC - 380 ) . " Yakutat " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Yakutat " ( AVP - 32 ) from 1944 to 1946 , She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1948 and commissioned the same year . Stationed at Portland , Maine , in 1949 and at New Bedford , Massachusetts , from 1949 to 1971 , her main duty was to serve on ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . She was redesignated WHEC - 379 and permanently transferred to the Coast Guard in 1966 , and served two combat tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War with Coast Guard Squadron Three , from 1967 to 1968 and in 1970 . Transferred to South Vietnam in 1971 , she served as RVNS " Tran Nhat Duat " ( HQ - 03 ) . Upon the collapse of the South Vietnamese government at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 , she fled to the Philippines , where she was cannibalized for spare parts . USCGC " Barataria " ( WAVP - 381 , WHEC - 381 ) . " Barataria " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Barataria " ( AVP - 33 ) from 1944 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1948 and commissioned the same year . She was based at Portland , Maine , from 1949 to 1968 , primarily responsible for ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . In 1966 she was reclassified as a high endurance cutter , redesignated WHEC - 381 , and transferred outright to the Coast Guard . She served one combat tour in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968 as a part of Coast Guard Squadron Three . She was based at San Francisco , California , from 1968 to 1969 , where she carried out for law - enforcement and search - and - rescue duties in the Pacific . She was decommissioned in 1969 and sold for scrapping in 1970 . USCGC " Bering Strait " ( WAVP - 382 , WHEC - 382 ) . " Bering Strait " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Bering Strait " ( AVP - 34 ) 1944 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard and in 1948 and commissioned the same year . She served on ocean station patrols in the Pacific Ocean throughout her Coast Guard career , based at Seattle , Washington from 1948 to 1954 and at Honolulu , Hawaii from 1954 to 1971 . She was redesignated WHEC - 382 and transferred permanently to the Coast Guard in 1966 , and served two combat tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War with Coast Guard Squadron Three , from 1967 to 1968 and in 1970 . Transferred to South Vietnam in 1971 , she served as RVNS " Tran Quang Khai " ( HQ - 02 ) . Upon the collapse of the South Vietnamese government at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 , she fled to the Philippines , and served in the Philippine Navy until 1985 as BRP " Diego Silang " ( PF - 9 ) . USCGC " Castle Rock " ( WAVP - 383 , WHEC - 383 ) . " Castle Rock " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Castle Rock " ( AVP - 35 ) from 1944 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1948 and commissioned the same year . She was stationed at Boston , Massachusetts , from 1948 to 1967 and at Portland , Maine , from 1967 to 1971 , primarily responsible for ocean station patrols in North Atlantic , and spent one combat tour in Vietnam during the Vietnam War with Coast Guard Squadron Three in 1971 . She was transferred to South Vietnam in 1971 and served as RVNS " Tran Binh Trong " ( HQ - 05 ) . Upon the collapse of the South Vietnamese government at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 , she fled to the Philippines , and served in the Philippine Navy until 1985 as BRP " Francisco Dagohoy " ( PF - 10 ) . USCGC " Cook Inlet " ( WAVP - 384 , WHEC - 384 ) . " Cook Inlet " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Cook Inlet " ( AVP - 36 ) from 1944 to 1946 . She was loaned to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1948 and was commissioned in 1949 . Based at Portland , Maine , throughout her Coast Guard career , she was primarily responsible for ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic and spent one combat tour in Vietnam during the Vietnam War with Coast Guard Squadron Three in 1971 . She was transferred to South Vietnam in 1971 and served as RVNS " Tran Quoc Toan " ( HQ - 06 ) . Upon the collapse of the South Vietnamese government at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 , she fled to the Philippines , where she was cannibalized for spare parts . USCGC " Dexter " ( WAGC - 18 , WAVP - 385 , WHEC - 385 ) . " Dexter " served as the U . S . Navy seaplane tender USS " Biscayne " ( AVP - 11 ) from 1941 to 1946 . She was transferred to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1946 and commissioned the same year as USCGC " Dexter " ( WAGC - 18 ) , soon changed to WAVP - 385 . Based at Boston , Massachusetts , from 1946 to 1952 . she primarily was responsible for ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . Out of commission from 1952 to 1958 , she then was based at Alameda , California , from 1958 to 1969 , serving as the Coast Guards United States West Coast training ship . She was redesignated WHEC - 385 in 1966 . She was decommissioned in 1968 , and the U . S . Navy sank her as a target later that year . USCGC " McCulloch " ( WAVP - 386 , WHEC - 386 ) . " McCulloch " served as the U . S . Navy motor torpedo boat tender USS " Wachapreague " ( AGP - 8 ) from 1944 to 1946 , She was transferred to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1946 and commissioned as " McCulloch " ( WAVP - 386 ) the same year . She was based at Boston , Massachusetts , from 1946 to 1966 and at Wilmington , North Carolina , from 1966 to 1972 , primarily responsible for ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic . In 1966 she was redesignated WHEC - 386 . She was transferred to South Vietnam in 1972 , and served as RVNS " Ngo Quyen " ( HQ - 17 ) . Upon the collapse of the South Vietnamese government at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 , she fled to the Philippines , and served in the Philippine Navy until either 1985 or 1990 as BRP " Gergorio del Pilar " ( PF - 8 ) . USCGC " Gresham " ( WAVP - 387 , WHEC - 387 , WAGW - 387 ) . " Gresham " served as the U . S . Navy motor torpedo boat tender USS " Willoughby " ( AGP - 9 ) from 1944 to 1946 . She was transferred to the U . S . Coast Guard in 1946 and commissioned in 1947 as " Gresham " ( WAVP - 387 ) . Based at Alameda , California , from 1947 to 1970 , she was primarily responsible for ocean station patrols in the Pacific Ocean , and was redesignated WHEC - 387 in 1966 . She served one combat tour in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968 as a part of Coast Guard Squadron Three . She was based at Norfolk , Virginia , from 1970 to 1973 , responsible for ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic , and was reclassified as a meteorological cutter and redesignated WAGW - 387 in 1970 . She was decommissioned and sold for scrapping in 1973 .