| "To
the
Rescue" by Paul McGehee. The famous cutter "Ingham" in heavy seas...a
salute to the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard.
USCGC "Ingham" (WHEC-35) is one of only two preserved Treasury-class
United States Coast Guard Cutters. Originally the "Samuel D. Ingham,"
she was the fourth cutter to be named for Treasury Secretary Samuel D.
Ingham. She was the most decorated vessel in the Coast Guard fleet and
was the only cutter to ever be awarded two Presidential Unit Citations.
The "Ingham" was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was launched
in June of 1936, along with her sisters "William J. Duane" and "Roger
B. Taney." "Ingham" served with distinction during World War II on
convoy duty. Protecting ships ferrying vital supplies to Britain,
"Ingham" battled stormy weather, German U-boats, and enemy aircraft. In
the winter of 1942, during one crossing, "Ingham" engaged and sank the
enemy submarine U-626. After 1944, "Ingham" served as an amphibious
flagship...she would later take part in three campaigns in the Pacific
Theater. "Ingham" earned two Presidential Unit Citations for her
service in Operation SEA LORDS and Operation SWIFT RAIDER during the
Vietnam War on a deployment from 1968-69. "Ingham" was the last active
warship in the US fleet with a U-Boat kill at the time of her
decommissioning in 1988. She was also the second oldest commissioned
U.S. warship afloat, second only to the famous "Old Ironsides," the USS
"Constitution" in Boston, Massachusetts. Now a museum ship, the
"Ingham" is part of the Key West Maritime Memorial Museum fleet and is
registered as a National Historic Landmark.
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