USS Coos Bay ( AVP - 25 ) USS " Coos Bay " ( AVP - 25 ) was a United States Navy " Barnegat " - class small seaplane tender in commission from 1943 to 1946 . Construction and commissioning . " Coos Bay " ( AVP - 25 ) was laid down on 15 August 1941 by Lake Washington Shipyards , Houghton , Washington , and was launched on 15 May 1942 , sponsored by Mrs . L . E . Geheres . She was commissioned on 15 May 1943 with Commander W . Miller in command . World War II Pacific Theater operations . First tour 1943 - 1944 . " Coos Bay " cleared San Diego , California on 22 July 1943 for Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , Espiritu Santo , and Cavutu , where she established a seadrome for Patrol Squadron 71 ( VP - 71 ) from 13 October 1943 until 23 November 1943 . She was based successively at Tulagi , at Blanche Harbor in the Treasury Islands , and at Green Island until 16 June 1944 . After carrying men and equipment of Fleet Air Wing 1 ( FAW - 1 ) from New Georgia to Espiritu Santo , " Coos Bay " sailed on 21 August 1944 for Guadalcanal , where she unloaded aviation equipment . From 8 September 1944 to 9 December 1944 she served at Saipan as station tender , then returned to San Pedro , California , for an overhaul . Damaged in collision at sea . " Coos Bay " returned to Pearl Harbor on 17 March 1945 . On 21 March 1945 she departed for Ulithi Atoll . During her passage , on 31 March 1945 , she collided with an oceangoing tug - M / V Matagorda , which took her in tow for emergency repairs at Eniwetok . " Coos Bay " proceeded to San Pedro for repairs and overhaul . Returning to Pearl Harbor , " Coos Bay " remained there until 1 September 1945 . Meanwhile , hostilities with Japan ended on 15 August 1945 . Military awards and honors . " Coos Bay " received two battle stars for World War II service . Post - World War II U . S . Navy service . On 1 September 1945 , " Coos Bay " departed Pearl Harbor for Ominato Ko , Honshū , Japan . The formal Japanese surrendered to the Allies took place the following day . Arriving at Ominato Ko on 13 September 1945 for station tender duty , " Coos Bay " remained there until 2 December 1945 , when she proceeded to Orange , Texas , where she arrived on 11 January 1946 for inactivation . Decommissioning . " Coos Bay " was decommissioned and placed in reserve in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Orange on 30 April 1946 . On loan to the United States Coast Guard . " Coos Bay " was loaned to the United States Coast Guard on 5 January 1949 and commissioned as USCGC " Coos Bay " ( WAVP - 376 ) on 4 May 1949 . She was reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC - 376 on 1 May 1966 . Throughout her Coast Guard career , she served in the North Atlantic , based at Portland , Maine . Her primary duty was to patrol ocean stations to collect weather data and conduct search - and - rescue and law - enforcement operations . The Coast Guard decommissioned " Coos Bay " on 1 September 1966 , and berthed her at Curtis Bay , Maryland . The Coast Guard returned her to the Navy on 2 September 1967 . Sunk as target . " Coos Bay " was struck from the Naval Register . The Navy towed her from Curtis Bay to a point off the coast of Virginia , where on 9 January 1968 guided missile destroyer USS " Claude V . Ricketts " ( DDG - 5 ) , one other Navy ship , and 35 aircraft sank her as a target .