View source for USCGC Southwind

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USCGC Southwind near USCG Base Berkley.jpg
|Ship caption= USCGC ''Southwind'' in December 1970
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1950}} {{shipboxflag|United States|coast guard}}
|Ship name=USCGC ''Southwind''
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Western Pipe and Steel Company]]
|Ship original cost= $9,880,037.00
|Ship yard number=CG-98
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=20 July 1942
|Ship launched= 8 March 1943
|Ship sponsor=Mrs. Ona Jones
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=15 July 1944 (USCG)
|Ship decommissioned=23 March 1945 (USCG)
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship identification= WAG-280
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=transferred to USSR on 25 March 1945
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Soviet Union
|Ship flag= {{shipboxflag|Soviet Union|naval}}
|Ship name= ''Admiral Makarov''
|Ship namesake= [[Stepan Makarov]]
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired= 25 March 1945
|Ship in service= 
|Ship out of service= 
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship fate= Returned to the United States, on 28 December 1949
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1950}}
|Ship name= USS ''Atka''
|Ship namesake= [[Atka Island]]
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired= 28 December 1949
|Ship commissioned= 13 April 1950
|Ship decommissioned= 31 October 1966
|Ship identification= AGB-3
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate= Transferred back to USCG, 31 October 1966
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship struck= 1 November 1966
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1966}} {{shipboxflag|United States|coast guard}}
|Ship name=USCGC ''Southwind''
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired= 31 October 1966
|Ship recommissioned= 31 October 1966
|Ship decommissioned= 31 May 1974
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship identification=
* WAGB-280
* [[Call sign]]: NMBT
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=''The Polar Prowler''
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=Sold for scrap on 17 March 1976
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass2|Wind|icebreaker}}
|Ship displacement=6,515 tons (1945)
|Ship length= {{convert|269|ft|abbr=on}} oa
|Ship beam= {{convert|63|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} mb
|Ship height=
|Ship draft= {{convert|25|ft|9|in|abbr=on}} max
|Ship depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
*[[Diesel-electric]]:
*6 × [[Fairbanks-Morse]] model 8-1/8OP, 10-cylinder [[opposed-piston engine]]s at {{convert|2,000|shp|abbr=on|lk=in}}, each driving a [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] [[Direct current|DC]] electric generator.
|Ship propulsion=2 × Westinghouse Electric DC electric motors driving the 2 aft propellers, 1 × {{convert|3000|shp|abbr=on}} Westinghouse DC electric motor driving the detachable and seldom used bow propeller.
|Ship speed=
*Top speed: {{convert|13.4|kn|km/h|abbr=on}} (1967)
*Economic speed: {{convert|11.6|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}
|Ship range= {{convert|32485|nmi|km|abbr=on}}
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=12 officers, 2 warrants, 205 men (1967)
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
*Radar: SPS-10B; SPS-53A; SPS-6C (1967)
*Sonar: QCJ-8 (1944)
|Ship armament=
*4 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|5"/38]] (twin mounts)
*12 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40mm/60]] (quad mounts)
*6 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20mm/80]] (single mounts)
*2 × [[depth charge]] tracks
*6 × [[K-gun]]s
*1 [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]]
*[[M2 Browning]] machine guns and small arms (1944)
|Ship aircraft=1 [[Grumman J2F]] seaplane or 2 helicopters
|Ship aircraft facilities=Retractable hangar
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USCGC ''Southwind'' (WAGB-280)''' was a {{sclass2|Wind|icebreaker}} that served in the [[United States Coast Guard]] as '''USCGC ''Southwind'' (WAG-280)''', the [[Soviet Navy]] as the '''''Admiral Makarov''''', the [[United States Navy]] as '''USS ''Atka'' (AGB-3)''' and again in the U.S. Coast Guard as '''USCGC ''Southwind'' (WAGB-280)'''.

==Construction==
''Southwind'' was the third of the {{sclass2|Wind|icebreaker|4}} of [[icebreaker]]s operated by the [[United States Coast Guard]]. Her [[keel]] was [[Keel laying|laid]] on 20 July 1942 at the [[Western Pipe and Steel Company]] shipyards in [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]], [[California]], she was christened by Mrs. Ona Jones and [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 8 March 1943, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 15 July 1944.<ref name="Jane’s(98)">{{cite book |title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II |publisher=Crescent Books |first=Antony |last=Preston |page=[https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/308 308] |year=1998 |orig-year=1989 |isbn=0517-67963-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00fran/page/308 }}</ref><ref name="Silverstone">{{cite book |title=U.S. Warships of World War II |publisher=Doubleday |first=Paul H |last=Silverstone |year=1966 |page=378 |oclc=36309625}}</ref><ref name="USCG Southwind">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Southwind1944.asp |title=USCGC Southwind, 1944 |work=USCG.mil |publisher=United States Coast Guard |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013233052/http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Southwind1944.asp |archive-date=13 October 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="USN Atka">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a13/atka.htm |title=Atka |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203135609/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a13/atka.htm |archive-date=3 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NavSource Atka">{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/08/0803.htm |title=USCGC Southwind (WAGB-280) |work=Navsource.org |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910183913/http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/08/0803.htm |archive-date=10 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Wind-class icebreakers had hulls of unprecedented strength and structural integrity, with a relatively short length in proportion to the great power developed, a cut away forefoot, rounded bottom, and fore, aft and side heeling tanks. Diesel electric machinery was chosen for its controllability and resistance to damage.<ref name="USCG Icebreakers">{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Icebreakers.asp |title=Icebreakers and the U.S. Coast Guard |work=USCG.mil |first=Donald L |last=Canney |publisher=United States Coast Guard |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701150642/http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Icebreakers.asp |archive-date=1 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''Southwind'', along with the other Wind-class icebreakers, was heavily armed for an icebreaker due to her design being crafted during World War II. Her main battery consisted of two twin-mount {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} deck guns. Her anti-aircraft weaponry consisted of three quad-mounted [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40&nbsp;mm]] anti-aircraft autocannons<ref name="Silverstone"/> and six [[Oerlikon 20&nbsp;mm]] autocannons. She also carried six [[K-gun]] [[depth charge]] projectors and a [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] as anti-submarine weapons. After her return from Soviet service she had a single [[5"/38 caliber gun]] mount forward and a [[helicopter deck]] aft. In 1968 the forward mount was removed.<ref name="USCG Southwind"/><ref name="NavSource Atka" />

==First U.S. Coast Guard service==
On 15 July 1944, she was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] as USCGC ''Southwind'' (WAG-280).

After service on the [[Greenland Patrol]], and assisting {{USCGC|Eastwind|WAGB-279|6}} in capturing the {{ship|German weather ship|Externsteine}}, ''Southwind'' was transferred to the Soviet Union on 23 or 25 March 1945 as part of the [[Lend-Lease]] Program.

==Soviet service==
The ship served in the Soviet [[merchant navy|merchant marine]] under the name ''Admiral Makarov'' ({{langx|ru|Адмирал Макаров}}, named in honor of [[Stepan Makarov]]) until being returned to the U.S. Navy on 28 December 1949 at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]], Japan.

==U.S. Navy service==
In 1950 the ship was transferred to the U.S. Navy and rechristened as USS ''Atka'' (AGB-3), after the small [[Aleutian Islands|Aleutian]] island of [[Atka Island|Atka]]. Upon arrival at her [[home port]] of [[Boston]], ''Atka'' entered the [[Boston Naval Shipyard]] for a thorough [[wikt:overhauling|overhaul]] and modernization. The work was completed late in May 1951, and ''Atka'' began operations from Boston, Massachusetts in July 1951.

Throughout her career in the American navy, the icebreaker followed a routine established by the changing seasons. In the late spring, she would set sail for either the northern or southern [[polar region]]s to resupply American and Canadian air bases and weather and radar stations. In early fall, she would return to Boston for upkeep and repairs. In the winter, the ship would sail various routes in the North [[Atlantic Ocean]] to gather weather data before returning to Boston in early spring for repairs and preparation for her annual polar expedition.

The ship often carried civilian scientists who plotted data on [[ocean current]]s and ocean water characteristics. They also assembled [[hydrography|hydrographic]] data on the poorly charted polar regions. ''Atka'' was also involved in numerous tests of cold weather equipment and survival techniques.

She served in the Atlantic fleet and completed three [[Arctic]] tours.

''Atka'' conducted a notable expeditionary cruise to [[Antarctica]] for [[Operation Deep Freeze]], scouting locations for science stations in support of the [[International Geophysical Year]]. She departed Boston on 1 December 1954, and after stops at [[Rodman Naval Station]] and [[Wellington]], she sighted [[Scott Island]] and first ice on 12 January 1955, and encountered the [[Ross Ice Barrier]] on 14 January, marking her arrival at the continent. ''Atka'' conducted surveys, samplings, and experiments from the [[Ross Sea]] eastward to [[Princess Martha Coast]] until she departed the region on 19 February 1955. After stops at [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Rio de Janeiro]], ''Atka'' returned to Boston on 12 April 1955, completing her mission.<ref name="Harry2017">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/atka.html |title=Atka (AGB-3): 1950-1966 |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |first=Stephanie |last=Harry |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509191106/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/atka.html |archive-date=9 May 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Dater1965">{{cite journal |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/Antarctica/POB/POBvVIn4.pdf |title=Voyage of USS Atka (1954-1955) |journal=Bulletin of the U.S. Antarctic Projects Officer |first=Henry M. |last=Dater |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=14–25 |date=February 1965 |access-date=24 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324061741/https://s3.amazonaws.com/Antarctica/POB/POBvVIn4.pdf |archive-date=24 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Second U.S. Coast Guard service==
On 31 October 1966 she was transferred to the United States Coast Guard and christened again as USCGC ''Southwind'' (WAGB-280), changed homeport to the [[United States Coast Guard Yard]] at [[Curtis Bay, Baltimore]], Maryland.

After a shakedown cruise to [[Bermuda]] she proceeded on its first operational cruise north to [[Qaanaaq|Thule, Greenland]].

She deployed to the Arctic in 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973, as well as to the Antarctic in December 1967, December 1968 and January 1972. In 1968 she was involved in a diplomatic incident between Chile and Argentine about navigation rights in the [[Beagle conflict|Beagle channel]].<ref>{{Cite thesis |url=http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA163393 |title=The Beagle Channel Dispute between Argentina and Chile: An Historical Analysis |degree=M.Sc. |publisher=Defense Technical Information Center |first=David Robert, Capt |last=Struthers |date=22 November 1985 |page=71 |id=ADA163393 |oclc=620986981 |access-date=25 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418225016/http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA163393 |archive-date=18 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In September 1970, ''Southwind'' visited the port of [[Murmansk]], being the first U.S. naval vessel to visit a Soviet port since the start of the cold war. During that visit, she took aboard a [[Boilerplate (spaceflight)|boilerplate]] (BP-1227) from the [[Apollo program]]. The boilerplate had been lost in the [[North Sea]] in early 1970, recovered by a Soviet fishing trawler in the [[Bay of Biscay]], transferred to the Soviet Union, and passed to ''Southwind'' on 5 September 1970.<ref name="SovietRecovery">{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.astronautix.com/a/apollosovieapollocapsule.html |title=Soviets Recovered an Apollo Capsule! |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Astronautica |first=Mark |last=Wade |year=2002 |access-date=8 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820162339/http://www.astronautix.com/a/apollosovieapollocapsule.html |archive-date=20 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://kolamap.ru/arh/nasa.html |title=Потерянная капсула NASA найдена в Мурманске |work=Kolamap.ru |language=ru |access-date=13 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819132708/http://kolamap.ru/arh/nasa.html |archive-date=19 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

From December 1972 to 31 May 1974 ''Southwind'' was stationed in [[Milwaukee]] to do icebreaking on the [[Great Lakes]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Scheina |first=Robert L. |date=1990 |title=U.S. Coast Guard Cutters and Craft, 1946-1990 |location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press |page=102 |isbn=0-87021-719-4}}</ref>

''Southwind'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 31 May 1974, and sold for scrap on 17 March 1976 for $231,079.00 to Union Mineral & Alloy Corporation of New York.

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/atka.html}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|USCGC Southwind (WAGB-280)}}
* [http://southwind280.com/ USCGC ''Southwind'']
* [http://ussatka.com/ USS ''Atka'' Association]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170517015452/https://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Icebreaker_Photo_Index.asp Icebreakers: Historic Photo Gallery] by the U.S. Coast Guard
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170126143843/http://www.uscg.mil/History/articles/Externsteine.asp "Arctic Combat: The Capture of the German Naval Auxiliary Externsteine by the Coast Guard Icebreakers Eastwind & Southwind in Greenland, 1944"] by the U.S. Coast Guard
* United States Coast Guard, Historian's Office. United States Coast Guard. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. [https://www.history.uscg.mil/] Accessed 20 DEC 2021.
{{Wind class icebreaker}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southwind (Wagb-280)}}
[[Category:Wind-class icebreakers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:Soviet Union–United States relations]]
[[Category:Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Soviet Navy]]
[[Category:Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the United States Coast Guard]]