USCGC Cobb ( WPG - 181 ) USCGC " Cobb " ( WPG - 181 ) was a United States Coast Guard cutter commissioned during World War II . A conversion of the 1906 coastal steamboat , USCGC " Cobb " in the hands of the Coast Guard became the world ' s first helicopter carrier . Background . The U . S . government became interested in the potential of the helicopter during the 1930s . In 1938 , the government allocated two million dollars toward development of the machine , and an inter - agency board — which included a representative from the U . S . Coast Guard , Commander William J . Kossler — was established to oversee the program . Kossler had difficulty persuading the U . S . Navy of the utility of the helicopter and eventually enlisted the aid of Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Frank Erickson of Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn . Erickson , who had helplessly watched sailors burn to death in oil slick s with no hope of rescue during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , immediately saw the utility of the helicopter in a search - and - rescue role . However , as the Navy showed little interest at this time in development of improved search - and - rescue methods , Erickson promoted the helicopter ' s usefulness as an anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) weapon instead . This proposal met with the approval of the Navy , and on 19 February 1943 , the Coast Guard was formally assigned the task of developing the helicopter for the ASW role . Acquisition and refit . As part of its ASW program , the Coast Guard began experimenting with ship - based helicopter operations . Initially , a series of flights was conducted from the deck of a ship at anchor , " Bunker Hill " . When these trials proved successful , the Coast Guard moved to open sea trials . For the sea trials , the Coast Guard acquired an ageing passenger steamer , , from the War Shipping Administration . The Coast Guard carried out major modifications to the ship , including removal of much of the ship ' s superstructure for the installation of a 38 × 63 foot flight deck for the use of helicopters , plus the addition of armor and weaponry . Following these modifications , the ship was commissioned on 20 July 1943 as USCGC " Cobb " ( WPG - 181 ) — the world ' s first helicopter carrier . Service history . In January 1944 , the ship was ordered to Groton , Connecticut for sound and radar training . In April , the ship was assigned to New York to train for helicopter landings on board its flight deck . The first such landing occurred on 15 June . On 29 July 1944 , the world ' s first take - off from a helicopter carrier took place in Long Island Sound from " Cobb " < nowiki > ' s < / nowiki > flight deck . With the threat from submarine s greatly diminished by early 1945 , the Coast Guard turned its attention to development of the helicopter in the search - and - rescue role . USCGC " Cobb " also played a role in this program when helicopters from its flight deck performed some of the earliest air - sea rescues . In spite of her historic achievements , USCGC " Cobb " proved an unsatisfactory acquisition . Originally America ' s first turbine - powered steamship , the aging 37 - year - old vessel proved a liability to the Coast Guard with her excessive maintenance costs . During the first 115 days of the ship ' s service , " Cobb " was absent from the repair yard for a total of only nine days . Thereafter she managed operational duties an average of only one week out of four . USCGC " Cobb " was decommissioned by the Coast Guard on 31 January 1946 . She was sold on 6 March 1947 , and scrapped a short time later .