USCGC Cuyahoga ( WIX - 157 ) USCGC " Cuyahoga " ( WIX - 157 ) was an built in 1927 and saw action in World War II . " Cuyahoga " sank after a night - time collision in the Chesapeake Bay while on patrol in 1978 . She was later raised and re - sunk as an artificial reef off the Virginia coast and is now a popular recreational dive site . Class History . " Active " - class was one of the most useful and long lasting in the service . Thirty - three ships were built with sixteen cutters still in use in the 1960s . The last to be decommissioned was in 1970 ; the last in service was " Cuyahoga " , sunk in 1978 . They were designed for the outer line of patrol during prohibition , trailing mother ships . They gained a reputation for durability only enhanced by their re - engining in the late 1930s ; their original 6 - cylinder diesels were replaced by significantly more powerful 8 - cylinder GE 268 - A engines , each with that used the original engine beds and gave the vessels 3 additional knots . All served in World War II , however , and , were lost in the Great Atlantic Hurricane in 1944 . Ten were refitted as buoy tender s during the war and reverted to patrol work afterward . Service history . US Coast Guard ( WSC - 157 ) . was built by American Brown Boveri , launched 27 January 1927 and commissioned 3 March 1927 at Camden , New Jersey . After commissioning , she saw duty in the Atlantic enforcing prohibition , intercepting rumrunners . United States Navy ( AG - 2 ) . On 29 May 1933 arrived at the Washington Navy Yard and commissioned in the US Navy on 1 April 1935 as AG - 2 , a tender for the Presidential Yacht . US Coast Guard ( WIX - 157 ) . She returned to Coast Guard jurisdiction on 17 May 1941 and recommissioned by the Coast Guard at the Washington Navy Yard on that day . She arrived at her new permanent station at Baltimore , Maryland 20 May 1941 . On 17 January 1942 her permanent station was changed from Baltimore to Norfolk , Virginia , where she reported to Commander Defense Area Group for duty . During World War II the was on escort duty attached to Commander Eastern Sea Frontier and Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier . From October 1942 to June 1945 she spent the majority of her time in the Caribbean Sea , usually escorting vessels between Guantanamo Bay , Trinidad and Paramaribo . During the war the was armed with one 3 " / 23 caliber antiaircraft gun and two depth charge racks . After the war , the operated out of Norfolk until May 1946 when she , along with " Calypso " , was placed " In Commission - Reserve " status due to personnel shortages . In April 1947 the was transferred from Norfolk to the United States Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay , Maryland and worked with the Field Testing and Development Unit except for occasional engineering and other operational activities . From 1957 to 1959 she was assigned to New London , Connecticut for training officer candidates . Later in 1959 arrived at Yorktown , Virginia where she continued to provide training for officer candidates . Collision and Sinking . On October 20 , 1978 , the was the oldest commissioned vessel in Coast Guard service and was conducting a night - time training cruise during clear weather . She was heading north at 12 knots in the Chesapeake Bay off Smith Point Light near the mouth of the Potomac River . At 8 : 45pm , Officer Candidate Officer of the Deck Earl Fairchild reported sighting a light on the northern horizon . The Commanding Officer , Chief Warrant Officer Donald K . Robinson confirmed this observation and after evaluating the radar contact misidentified the contact as a similarly northbound small vessel , likely a fishing boat turning into the Potomac River at 15 , 700 yards . In fact , it was the 521 foot Argentinian bulk freighter , M / V " Santa Cruz II " , loaded with 19 , 000 tons of coal , bound for San Nicolás de los Arroyos , Argentina traveling south at over 14 knots . The pilot of " Santa Cruz " , John P . Hamill identified the , and neither he nor the ship ' s Captain Abdelardo Albornoz were concerned as the two ships appeared to be passing port - to - port . When the two vessels were 1 , 200 yards apart the turned west , into the path of " Santa Cruz " , to enter the Potomac River to moor for the night . Hamill immediately sounded " Santa Cruz " ' s whistle signaling that he would maintain course and speed and that the cutter should return to its original course . After waiting 30 seconds without any response from the , Hamill sounded a danger warning of five short blasts . Robinson still believed the vessel was a small fishing boat and that it was also turning into the Potomac River , sounded his whistle in acknowledgement and turned further west . Robinson realized that he was about to collide with a freighter and ordered " all engines stop , " then " full reverse " . At 9 : 07pm , the bulbous underwater bow of " Santa Cruz " tore through " Cuyahoga ' s " midship , 40 feet from the stern , rolling her over at a 50 degree angle . Robinson had reversed back into the path of " Santa Cruz " . The sank within two minutes of the collision in 58 feet of water . The cutter ' s 14 - foot utility boat had popped free of the sinking vessel and Boatswains Mate Roger Wild put the injured survivors in the boat . The un - injured clung to the sides of the boat until the freighter had returned to pick up survivors . 11 on board the were lost , 18 survived . The Marine Casualty Report , number USCG 16732 / 92368 and dated July 31 , 1979 , concluded : Post - collision repair and scuttle . On October 29 , two U . S . Navy floating cranes were brought to the scene and the ship was raised and towed to Portsmouth , Virginia where the hole was patched . On November 26 , it was decided to scuttle the ship off the Virginia Capes . The vessel was towed 15 miles offshore and sunk as an artificial fishing reef where she sits upright in 100 feet of water .