USCGC Ingham (WHEC-35)

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USCGC Ingham (WPG/WAGC/WHEC-35) is one of only two preserved Template:Sclass2s. Originally 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.

History 1934–1988

Ingham was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The Treasury Department awarded her contract on 30 January 1934. Her keel was laid on 1 May 1935, and she was launched on 3 June 1936, along with her sisters Template:USCGC, Template:USCGC and the Template:USCGC. Ingham was christened by Ms. Katherine Ingham Brush on that date and the new cutter was formally commissioned on 12 September 1936.

Template:Stack 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. On 15 December 1942, during one crossing, Ingham engaged and sank the enemy submarine U-626.<ref name=USNChron1942>Template:Cite book</ref> After 1944, Ingham served as an amphibious flagship and she would later take part in three campaigns in the Pacific Theater. Ingham was the last active warship in the US fleet with a U-Boat kill.

Convoys escorted

Convoy	Escort Group	Dates	Notes
HX 164		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 49		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	from Iceland to Newfoundland
HX 171		22–30 Jan 1942<ref name="hxconvoy" />	from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 63		7–13 Feb 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	from Iceland to Newfoundland
HX 177	MOEF group A2	1–8 March 1942<ref name="hxconvoy" />	from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 77	MOEF group A2	18–26 March 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
HX 190	MOEF group A3	20–27 May 1942<ref name="hxconvoy" />	from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 102	MOEF group A3	10–17 June 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	from Northern Ireland to Iceland
ON 116		25–29 July 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
SC 93		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Iceland shuttle
ON 117		31 July-3 Aug 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
ON 124		24–27 Aug 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
SC 97		29 Aug-1 Sep 1942<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
ON 132		21–24 Sep 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
SC 101		28–30 Sep 1942<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
ON 136		5–9 Oct 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
SC 103		10 Oct 1942<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
Convoy SC 107		5–7 Nov 1942<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
ON 144		8–15 Nov 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
ON 152		11–15 Dec 1942<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
SC 112		16–21 Dec 1942<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
ON 160		14–21 Jan 1943<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
HX 223		23–27 Jan 1943<ref name="hxconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
ON 175		4 Feb 1943<ref name="onconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
Convoy SC 118		5–9 Feb 1943<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
Convoy SC 121		9–11 March 1943<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle
Convoys HX 229/SC 122		19–21 March 1943<ref name="scconvoy" />	Iceland shuttle

Post-war service

In August 1966, Ingham rescued lone sailor William Willis off the US eastern seabord, landing him at the Argentia Coast Guard station.<ref>Willis, William The Hundred Lives of an Ancient Mariner London 1967 pp174,188</ref>

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Ingham in 1953

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 3 August 1968 to 28 February 1969. Template:Stack On completion of her deployment to Vietnam, Ingham returned to regular Coast Guard duties, serving until 1988, when she was decommissioned. At that time, Ingham was the second oldest commissioned U.S. warship afloat, second only to Template:USS in Boston, Massachusetts.<ref name="nhlsum" />

Museum Ship and Memorial

File:Ingham PointPleasant Delgado 1990 cropped.jpg

Ingham at Patriots Point in 1990

Acquired by Patriot's Point (located near Charleston, South Carolina) in 1989, Ingham was displayed along with the aircraft carrier Template:USS, the destroyer Template:USS, and the submarine Template:USS until 20 August 2009.

On 20 August 2009 Ingham was towed to the Coast Guard piers in North Charleston, South Carolina for minor repairs and to await dry docking. She underwent a short dry docking period at Detyen's Shipyard in North Charleston and was then towed to Key West, Florida arriving there on 24 November 2009. She is now a member of Key West Maritime Memorial Museum.<ref name="State">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="PP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Failed verification

The Commandant of the Coast Guard has declared Ingham the National Memorial to Coast Guardsmen Killed in Action in World War II and Vietnam. These 912 casualties are identified on a memorial plaque on Ingham's quarterdeck.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ingham was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.<ref name="nhlsum" /><ref name="nrhpinv2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} and
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