USCGC Southwind (WAGB-280)
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 The USS Atka (then USCG Southwind) on July 15, 1944. |
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Western Pipe and Steel Company, San Pedro, California |
| Laid down: | July 20, 1942 |
| Launched: | March 8, 1943 |
| Commissioned: | July 15, 1944 as USCGC Southwind (WAGB-280) |
| Decommissioned: | March 25, 1945 |
| Renamed: | Admiral Mararov (1945-50), USS Atka (1950-66), USCGC Southwind (1966-76) |
| Status: | Decommissioned |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | approx 6,500 tons full load |
| Length: | 269 ft (82 m) |
| Beam: | 63.8 ft (19.4 m) |
| Draught: | 25.75 ft (7.64 m) |
| Propulsion: | 3 shaft Diesel Electric drive (1 bow), 13300 SHP |
| Speed: | 16 |
| Complement: | 254 |
| Armament: | 4x 5" in twin mounts, 12x40mm in quad mounts |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 Grumman J2F Seaplane |
USS Atka (AGB-3) was a Wind-class icebreaker that served in the United States Coast Guard, the Soviet Navy and the United States Navy.
Construction began on July 20, 1942 in the Western Pipe and Steel Company shipyards in San Pedro, California, and she was launched on March 8, 1943 by Mrs Ona Jones. On July 15, 1944, she was commissioned as USCGC Southwind (WAGB-280).
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[edit] Russian Service
On 25 March 1945 she was decommissioned and sent to the USSR as part of the Lend-Lease Program. She served in the merchant marine under the name Admiral Mararov until being returned to the US Navy on 28 December 1949 at Yokosuka, Japan.
[edit] US Navy Service
In 1950 she was returned to the US Navy and rechristened as Atka, after a small Aleutian island of Atka. Upon her arrival at Boston, Atka entered the naval shipyard there for a thorough overhaul and modernization. The work was completed late in May 1951, and Atka began operations from Boston in July.
Throughout her career in the American Navy, the icebreaker followed a routine established by the changing seasons. In the late spring, she would set sail for either the northern or southern polar regions to resupply American and Canadian air bases and weather and radar stations. In early fall, she would return to Boston for upkeep and repairs. In the winter, the ship would sail various routes in the North Atlantic to gather weather data before returning to Boston in early spring for repairs and preparation for her annual polar expedition.
The ship often carried civilian scientists who plotted data on ocean currents and ocean water characteristics. They also assembled hydrographic data on the poorly charted polar regions. Atka was also involved in numerous tests of cold weather equipment and survival techniques.
She served in the Atlantic fleet and completed three Arctic tours.
[edit] US Coastguard Service
On 31 October 1966 she was transferred the US Coast Guard and christened again as USCGC Southwind. She deployed to the Arctic in 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973, as well as to the Antarctic in December 1967, December 1968 and January 1972.
In 1976 she was decommissioned and sold.
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[edit] Trivia
- A picture of USS Atka was used as the front cover art for Rammstein's album Rosenrot, and the Japanese version of their album Reise, Reise.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
[edit] External links
- USS Atka Association
- USGC Icebreaker photos
- NavSource information
- US Coast Guard site detailing the Capture of the German Naval Auxiliary Externsteine by the Coast Guard Icebreakers Eastwind & Southwind in Greenland, 1944
| Wind-class icebreaker |
| Staten Island | Eastwind | Southwind | Westwind | Northwind | Burton Island | Edisto | Labrador |
