USCGC Comanche (WPG-76) was a United States Coast Guard cutter built by Pusey & Jones Corporation, Wilmington, Delaware, and launched 6 September 1934. She was commissioned on 1 December 1934. She was used extensively during World War II for convoy operations to Greenland and as a part of the Greenland Patrol.
Pre-war assignment The cruising cutter Comanche, was the fifth of six "165 foot(A)-class" cutters that were constructed based on a 1915 Tallapoosa/Ossipee design that included provisions for light ice-breaking and the first class that utilized geared turbine engines. Comanche was capable of breaking up to 2 foot of ice because of a reinforced belt at the waterline. Built by Pusey & Jones Corporation of Wilmington, Delaware, Comanche was commissioned on 1 December 1934 and was originally stationed at Stapleton, New York, which remained her homeport until 1940. She carried out the standard missions of the Coast Guard at that time, including law enforcement, search and rescue, and light ice-breaking on the Hudson River.
World War II Comanche made history in 1940 when she transported the first U.S. consul to Ivigtut, Greenland, on the invitation of the Danish government-in-exile, beginning a close association between Greenland and the Coast Guard during the war. On 1 June 1941 she was assigned to the newly established South Greenland Patrol and was transferred to the Navy on 1 July 1941 where she operated under the control of CINCLANT (DESLANT) [Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet, Destroyer Command, Atlantic] and her homeport became Boston. She was used primarily for convoy escort to Greenland waters.
On 27 March 1942 Comanche left Boston escorting Lightship No. 110 to Portland, Maine. There she engaged in anti-submarine exercises and on the 29th got underway with the Frederick Lee, escorting lightship No. 110 and the SS Omaha to Argentia, arriving there 4 April 1942. Next day she was escorting Omaha to Greenland, anchoring at Bluie West One. On the 15th she departed for Ivigtut. She remained there until the 28th when she then transported and assisted a survey party of Army personnel in the preliminary survey and selection of a tank-farm site at Ivigtut, also construction site "C" at Kajartalik. She returned to Bluie West One on 28 April and remained there until 8 May 1942. While there details were arranged for the flight of six PBY's from Argentia to Iceland via Bluie West One, the Comanche taking communication guard of planes in the flight. On 8 May she proceeded to Ivigtut to guard the cryolite mines there, remaining until 20 May 1942.
The rest of May 1942, she was employed in ice-breaking activities in Sondre Stromfjord and then in towing the from Godthaab to Bluie West One. Arriving on the 28th she met the in Tungliarfik Fjord and escorted the transport to Bluie West One, arriving there on 3 May 1942. On 6 June, she patrolled Weather Station "A" where she remained until 20 June 1942, being relieved by . From 25 June to 2 July she was on airplane guard at the mouth of Tungliarfik Fjord being relieved by the . From 4 to 17 July 1942, she relieved Algonquin on Weather Station "A" and after repairs to her steering gear she returned to Bluie West One.
On 22 July 1942 Captain C. C. von Paulsen, USCG, (Senior Officer Present Afloat, Greenland) and Ensign J. Starr, USCG, came on board Comanche and she proceeded to Julianehaab whence on the 23rd pilots S.T. Sorenson and Julius Carlson came on board to cruise through the inside passage of southern Greenland, taking soundings and making observations of uncharted areas.
From 29 July 1942 to 7 August 1942, Comanche met incoming convoys and relieved their escorts. Then she took on fuel and stores for the Ice Cap Station which was to be established on the east coast of Greenland and on the 13th embarked ten Army enlisted personnel and two civilians and their gear, leaving Ivigtut with the to escort Dorchester and SS Alcoa Pilot to Bluie East Two, where she arrived on the 17th. Here she took on more supplies for the Ice Cap Station and proceeding to Angmagssalik, three enlisted Army personnel departed while three Army officers came aboard. She departed on the 18th and proceeded down the east coast to an unnamed bay at 65° 03' N x 40° 18' W, which was to be the site of the Ice Cap Station. Arriving on the 18th the bay was named Comanche Bay in honor of the cutter Comanche. Five days were spent unloading supplies and on the 24th she left for Angmagssalik and Bluie East Two to get more supplies for the Ice Cap Station. Returning to Comanche Bay, the cutter took soundings and established two anchorages markers. On 21 September 1942 Comanche completed all operations and left Army personnel and civilians at the station, returning to Bluie East Two. On the 7th she left Bluie East Two, escorting Dorchester to Bluie West One, arriving on the 9th.
From 11 September 1942 to 19 October, Comanche was engaged in local escort duty in Greenland, escorting with other Coast Guard vessels, various merchant vessels and Army transports between the bases that had been established on the west coast of Greenland and meeting incoming convoys. Her duties took her to the east coast of Greenland as far as Denmark Straits on 17 October 1942. On 19 October 1942 she left Kungnat Bay with and Algonquin, escorting five freighters to Newfoundland, arriving at Argentia on the 24th. She arrived at St. John's on 3 November 1942, and along with three other escorts left St. John's, escorting five vessels to Greenland. She arrived Bluie West One on 11 November 1942, and on the 13th left Kungnat Bay, escorting eight freighters, two Army transports and Bear to St. John's. On the 19th she proceeded with Algonquin, Bear and to Argentia, arriving on the 20th and leaving same day for Boston where she arrived on 24 November 1942.
On 29 January 1943, Comanche was underway with the and , out of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, escorting convoy SG-19, consisting of Dorchester, SS Biscaya, and SS Lutz for Greenland. During the early morning of 3 February 1943 the German submarine U-223 fired five torpedoes at the convoy. One of the first torpedoes struck and exploded against Dorchester, on her starboard side in the machinery spaces. The escort vessels' first indication of trouble came from the convoy at 0102 on that morning, when a white flash was observed to come from Dorchester, just abaft her smokestack. This flash was followed by a clearly visible cloud of black smoke and the sound of an explosion. There followed immediately two blasts from the whistle of Dorchester and lights were seen to flash on in numerous spots on the ship. At 0104 the officer of the deck of Comanche, which was approximately 2500 yards on the port beam of Dorchester, sounded the general alarm and all stations were manned. At 0112, Comanche, in accordance with pre-arranged instructions, commenced maneuvering to intercept and destroy any enemy submarines in the vicinity. At this time all lights left burning on Dorchester went out and it is believed she sank immediately after this at 0120.
At 0226 instructions were received from the escort commander, aboard Tampa, for Comanche to proceed to the scene of the sinking and cooperate with Escanaba in the rescue of survivors. Upon arriving at the scene at 0302 Comanche passed through an oil slick in which numerous red life jacket lights were seen burning, but upon attempting to pick up some of these, it was discovered that the men in the jackets, close aboard, had already perished or had become unconscious and were unable to respond or act in any way. At 0345, forty survivors from a lifeboat were brought aboard Comanche as she screened Escanaba against submarine attack. Altogether Comanche rescued a total of 97 survivors, mostly through utilizing a new rescue technique involving the use of a "retriever." This technique involved having a crewman, dressed in a special suit, jump overboard with a line tied around him. The retriever would then grab hold of a survivor and crewmen on board the cutter would then haul both men on deck. With the survivors suffering from hypothermia and therefore unable to climb aboard a rescuing vessel, the retriever method proved to be the only way to save lives. Three officers and nine enlisted men from Comanche acted as retrievers that night. A contemporary report noted:
The Escanaba managed to rescue 132 survivors. The rest of the passengers and crew of Dorchester, four officers, 98 crewmen, and 558 passengers (primarily Army personnel as well as 16 Coast Guardsmen), perished. The sinking gained international attention due to the loss of four U.S. Army chaplains who perished after voluntarily giving up their life jackets to other Dorchester survivors. Their courage, calm attitude, and sacrifice were later recognized by Congress. Comanche and Escanaba landed Dorchester survivors at Bluie West One on 14 February 1943.
Comanche served as local escort during the rest of February and late in March departed for Boston. During the month of April, Comanche was on availability at the Boston Navy Yard. After twenty days of training exercises at Casco Bay Comanche arrived at Argentia with Tampa and Mojave escorting two tugs towing sections of YD-25. She departed Argentia for Boston on 6 May 1943, escorting three tugs to Boston, stopping for three days in Halifax while one of the tugs was repaired. She then arrived at Boston on the 15th. Departing on the 17th for Casco Bay, Comanche on the 19th began escorting two tugs towing two more sections of YD-25 to Argentia, arriving on the 24th. Proceeding to St. John's on the 25th Comanche escorted two vessels as convoy SG-74 with the and to Greenland on the 27th. She remained at Gronne Dal from 3 to 5 June, while the convoy unloaded and then proceeded to Narsarssuak, returning to Gronne Dal on 8 June 1943. On the 10th she began escorting two vessels to Bluie West Eight, breaking through heavy ice.
She departed Bluie West Eight on 16 June 1943, for Gronne Dal, proceeding with difficulty through the ice, anchoring one day off Godthaab three days at Marrak Point. She escorted two vessels to Narsarassuak on 23 June and anchored with the third at Gronne Dal. Between 24 and 29 June she went to Godthaab bringing back 58 Eskimo dogs and other freight and anchoring at Kungnat Bay on 30 June 1943. On 1 July 1943, Comanche was underway from Gronne Dal with three escorts and a one vessel convoy to St. John's. Comanche proceeded directly to Boston, arriving on 9 July 1943, and remaining there until the 25th, after which she spent five days on training exercises in Casco Bay, returning to Boston on 30 July 1943.