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~ Hamilton Class Cutters: Best Sub-hunters in the o War USCGC Spencer, shown above, is one of the ~ Hamilton class Coas t Guard cutters which proved to =------~....::.""'--'o.. be the most e ffective anti -s ubmarine platform s of the war. Large, fa st, stead y, and extremel y seaworth y, the Hamilton cl ass took the lead in turning the tide in the Atl anti c. Spencer' s mast is on di spl ay at the Intrepid Mu se um in New York.
Depth Charges Away: Attacking Submerged Uboats The US Coast Guard Cutter Spencer drops a lethal vo ll ey of depth charges during its epic, textbook attack on U- 175. Below le ft , one of the Spencer' s 3" deck guns is unleashed against a U-boat. Although the cloak of darkness had been the U-boat's all y during night surface attacks, the rapid deve lopment of surface ;: warship radar pierced the black of ni ght, ex posin g ~ surfaced subs as they stalked convoys.
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The Sub Chasers These little craft were compact but well armed and proved themselves capable of attacking and destroying U-boats with the ir depth charges and deck gun s. They were intended primaril y fo r coastal use. Forty-one PCs were built in the Harlem Ri ver in Manhattan at Consolidated Shipbuilding. A total of 3 17 of these 174-foot-long craft served in World War II. On the right, next page, a young navy crew loads depth charges aboard sub chaser PC-548. On the fa r ri ght, lookouts in the crow 's nest of a sub chaser brace themse lves as the bow of their PC plunges th ro ugh the North Atl anti c which could be as dangerous an adversary as the U-boats. 12
SEA HISTORY 66, SUMMER 1993