View source for USCGC Bibb

{{Short description|Secretary-Class  Coast Guard ship}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USCGC Bibb WPG-31.jpg
|Ship caption=USCGC ''Bibb'' (WPG-31)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United States|coast guard-1915}}
|Ship name=''Bibb''
|Ship namesake=[[George M. Bibb]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= [[Charleston Navy Yard]]
|Ship laid down=15 August 1935
|Ship launched=14 January 1937
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 10 March 1937
|Ship decommissioned= 30 September 1985
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Sunk as an artificial reef off the Florida Keys on 28 November 1987
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=Treasury Class cutter
|Ship displacement= 2,350 (1936)
|Ship length= {{cvt|327|ft|0|in}}
|Ship beam= {{cvt|41|ft|0|in}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=  {{cvt|12|ft|6|in}} (max.)
|Ship propulsion= 2 x Westinghouse double-reduction geared turbines; 2 x Babcock & Wilcox sectional express, air-encased, 400 psi, 200° superheat  5,250 (total shaft horse power)
|Ship speed=  {{convert|19.5|kn|km/h}}
|Ship range= 13.0 knots, {{convert|7000|mi|km|adj=on|abbr=on}} range
|Ship complement=*1937: 12 officers, 4 warrants, 107 enlisted
*1941: 16 officers, 5 warrants, 202 enlisted
*1966: 10 officers, 3 warrants, 133 enlisted.
|Ship sensors=*Radar: (1945) SK, SG-1; (1966) AN/SPS-29D, AN/SPA-52.
*Fire Control Radar: (1945) Mk-26; (1966) Mk-26 MOD 4
*Sonar: (1945) QC series; (1966) SQS-11
|Ship EW=HF/DF: (1943)
|Ship armament=*1936:
**2 × [[5"/51 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/51]] cal. guns
**2 × [[QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss#United States service|6-pounder]] guns
**1 x [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom|1-pounder]] gun
*1966:
**1 x [[5"/38 caliber gun]] (single)
**MK 52 MOD 3 director
**1 x 10-1 [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]]
**2 x (P&S) [[Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes|Mk 32]] MOD 5 TT
**4 x [[Mark 44 torpedo|Mk 44]] MOD 1 torpedoes
**2 x .50 cal. [[M2 Browning]] MG
**2 x MK-13 high altitude parachute flare mortars.
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=*Curtiss SOC-4, USCG No. V172 (1937–1938)
*Grumman JF-2, USCG No. V146 (1939–)
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''USCGC ''Bibb'' (WPG-31)''' was a {{convert|327|ft|m|adj=on}} Secretary-Class (also known as "[[Treasury-class cutter|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 U.S. 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 {{SS|Henry R. Mallory}} 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 [[Florida Reef|coral reef tract]], about six miles (10&nbsp;km) offshore of the island of [[Key Largo]]. It lies on its side at a depth of about {{convert|130|ft|m}}. Nearby, a second Treasury-Class ship, the [[USCGC Duane (WPG-33)|USCGC ''Duane'']] (WPG-33) was also sunk as an artificial reef.

The ''Bibb'' rests at {{coord|24|59.71|N|80|22.77|W |display=inline,title}}.

==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).<ref name=auction>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscg.mil/flag/lantaread.asp |title=USCG: Flag/SES Bios - Commander Coast Guard Atlantic Area |publisher=Uscg.mil |date=2010-05-26 |access-date=2010-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326142921/http://www.uscg.mil/flag/lantareaD.asp |archive-date=2010-03-26 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="USCG Bibb">{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Bibb1935.asp|title=USCG Bibb|work=U.S. Coast Guard Cutter History|publisher=United States CoastGuard|access-date=2012-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430192944/http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Bibb1935.asp|archive-date=2017-04-30|url-status=live}}</ref>

==World War II convoys escorted==

{|class="wikitable"
!Convoy
!Escort Group
!Dates
!Notes
|-
|[[SC convoys|SC 81]]
|
|5 May 1942<ref name="scconvoy">{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sc/index.html|title=SC convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520155243/http://convoyweb.org.uk/sc/index.html|archive-date=2011-05-20|url-status=live}}</ref>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 97]]
|
|13–16 May 1942<ref name="onconvoy">{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html|title=ON convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-06-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929182211/http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html|archive-date=2011-09-29|url-status=live}}</ref>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[SC convoys|SC 84]]
|
|17 May 1942<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[SC convoys|SC 85]]
|
|6 June 1942<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 106]]
|
|24–27 June 1942<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 110]]
|
|7–11 July 1942<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 124]]
|
|24-27 Aug 1942<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[SC convoys|SC 97]]
|
|29 Aug-1 Sept 1942<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 132]]
|
|21-24 Sept 1942<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[SC convoys|SC 101]]
|
|28-30 Sept 1942<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 140]]
|
|19-24 Oct 1942<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[SC convoys|SC 105]]
|
|25-26 Oct 1942<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[Convoy SC 107]]
|
|5-7 Nov 1942<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 144]]
|
|8-15 Nov 1942<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 148]]
|
|25-28 Nov 1942<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[Convoy SC 118]]
|
|1-9 Feb 1943<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[HX convoys|HX 226]]
|
|19-20 Feb 1943<ref name="hxconvoy">{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html|title=HX convoys|publisher=Andrew Hague Convoy Database|access-date=2011-06-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520125047/http://convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index.html|archive-date=2011-05-20|url-status=live}}</ref>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 169]]
|
|25-27 Feb 1943<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[HX convoys|HX 227]]
|
|1–3 March 1943<ref name="hxconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[Convoy SC 121]]
|
|9–10 March 1943<ref name="scconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[Convoys HX 229/SC 122]]
|
|21–23 March 1943<ref name="hxconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|-
|[[ON convoys|ON 173]]
|
|31 March-3 April 1943<ref name="onconvoy"/>
|Iceland shuttle
|}

==In popular culture==
The USCGC ''Bibb'' appeared in the 1952 film ''[[Walk East on Beacon]]'' at the film's climactic end.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cutterbibb31.com/ Bibb shipmates association]
* [https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Water/All/Article/2081996/bibb-1937/  uscg.mil/history: USCGC ''Bibb'']
* [https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/bibb-iii.html history.navy.mil: USCGC ''Bibb'']

{{Treasury class cutter}}
{{1987 shipwrecks}}
{{Recreational dive sites|wresit}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibb (WPG-31)}}
[[Category:Treasury-class cutters]]
[[Category:Ships of the United States Coast Guard]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys]]
[[Category:1937 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1987]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as artificial reefs]]
[[Category:Ships built in Charleston, South Carolina]]