USCGC Bibb (WPG-31) was a Secretary-class (also known as "Treasury class") Coast Guard ship commissioned in 1936. Seven similar "combat cutters" were built and named for secretaries of the United States Treasury. Bibb was named for US Secretary of the Treasury (July 4, 1844 – March 7, 1845) George M. Bibb.
History Bibb saw service in World War II. The ship fought in the Battle of the Atlantic serving as a convoy escort. In February 1943, the convoy came under attack and the was torpedoed. Capt. Raney ignored the order to leave the survivors and went back and rescued 202 men from the icy waters. In 1944 Bibb provided convoy escort between the United States and North Africa — mainly to Bizerte in Tunisia. In January 1945 Bibb left Charleston, South Carolina for service in the Pacific theater where, as an AGC, she served temporarily as the flagship for Commander, Mine Craft, Pacific Fleet. Bibb is credited with destroying one Japanese kamikaze aircraft in action at Karema Retto.
In peacetime the Bibb spent time on ocean station providing weather information and beacons to trans-Atlantic traffic. While on ocean station, the Bibb came to the rescue of the airliner, the Bermuda Sky Queen. In the Vietnam War, the Bibb transported John Kerry after he was shot on his Swift boat.
Fate Bibb was decommissioned in 1985 and remained docked until it was transported to the Florida Keys for use as an artificial reef. The ship was sunk in November 1987 just outside the coral reef tract, about six miles (10 km) offshore of the island of Key Largo. It lies on its side at a depth of about . Nearby, a second Treasury-class ship, the USCGC Duane (WPG-33) was also sunk as an artificial reef.
The Bibb rests at .
Noteworthy crewmembers Among those serving on Bibb was James A. Watson, a rear admiral who was the onsite ranking officer in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Watson was an Engineering Officer/Student Engineer (1978–1980).
World War II convoys escorted
ConvoyEscort GroupDatesNotesSC 815 May 1942Iceland shuttleON 9713–16 May 1942Iceland shuttleSC 8417 May 1942Iceland shuttleSC 856 June 1942Iceland shuttleON 10624–27 June 1942Iceland shuttleON 1107–11 July 1942Iceland shuttleON 12424-27 Aug 1942Iceland shuttleSC 9729 Aug-1 Sept 1942Iceland shuttleON 13221-24 Sept 1942Iceland shuttleSC 10128-30 Sept 1942Iceland shuttleON 14019-24 Oct 1942Iceland shuttleSC 10525-26 Oct 1942Iceland shuttleConvoy SC 1075-7 Nov 1942Iceland shuttleON 1448-15 Nov 1942Iceland shuttleON 14825-28 Nov 1942Iceland shuttleConvoy SC 1181-9 Feb 1943Iceland shuttleHX 22619-20 Feb 1943Iceland shuttleON 16925-27 Feb 1943Iceland shuttleHX 2271–3 March 1943Iceland shuttleConvoy SC 1219–10 March 1943Iceland shuttleConvoys HX 229/SC 12221–23 March 1943Iceland shuttleON 17331 March-3 April 1943Iceland shuttle
In popular culture USCGC Bibb appeared in the 1952 film Walk East on Beacon at the film's climactic end.
References
External links Bibb shipmates association uscg.mil/history: USCGC Bibb history.navy.mil: USCGC Bibb