[Composed 9/21/2024]
From the USS Torsk, we made our way to the USCG Cutter 37, formerly known as the Taney. Compared to the USS Torsk, the Cutter is positively palatial. Shira, G and I toured the vessel inside and out, relishing the chance to climb ladders, crawl through hatches and generally futz around with every latch and lever we* could touch.
Parts of the Taney were familiar and easy to explain to G: the large mess and bunk area for the enlisted men, the comparatively fancy captain and officer quarters and the on-board doctor's office, or sick bay to keep everyone healthy.
But there were plenty of details that were way over our heads. The sick bay, for example, was far more elaborate than would normally be found on a ship this size. This made it a unique feature that could be deployed in innovative ways. One notable use was during the Vietnam war where the Taney used its advanced medical facilities to treat over 6,000 Vietnamese villagers.
Of course we made our way forward to the relatively large 5" gun. The gun, to me, felt a bit out of place as I associate the coast guard with lifesaving and humanitarian missions. And while it's true that the Coast Guard does undertake these missions, it's my perspective that was naive.
For the entire span of Taney's career, offensive capabilities played a role. During WW II, as the photo in this article shows, the Cutter was armed to the teeth. In fact, the ship has the unique distinction of being the last vessel afloat that participated in the response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Reading an account of that day, one can appreciate just how valiantly the crew of the Taney performed. Fast forward 44 years, and one of Cutter 37's last actions was to seize the M/V Sea Maid 1, which was towing a barge containing 160 tons(!) of marijuana 300 miles off the coast of Virginia. The Taney's role in Vietnam wasn't limited to health duties, it also participated in naval operations, firing more than 3,400 shells from its 5" in gun--the very type of gun that G and I marveled at.
While the Taney had occasion to flex its muscles, many of its missions were far more peaceful. During Amelia Earhart's attempted flight around the world, the Cutter 37 served as a signal beacon, transmitting a navigational radio signal as well as "dense clouds of smoke from its boilers.". It also participated in the ominous sounding (yet, apparently harmless) Pacific Island colonization program, that allowed the US to claim a handful of deserted islands in the Pacific. The primary and possibly only resource of note on these islands was, I kid you not, bird poop.
The Cutter 37's most common mission during its career was that of Ocean Station. The idea was that Coast Guard Cutters like the Taney would sail out to a 10 mile square 'station' in the Atlantic or Pacific and then essentially chill there. They would primarily broadcast weather and sea data and be on hand if there was an emergency in the area.
I'd never considered that for many years we had the science to do weather forcasting, but not the technology to collect the data with ease. If you wanted weather data on a section of the ocean the way to get it was to send a ship there to collect it. The stations were described as "44,000 square miles of bad weather." Yikes, no thank you.
It's worth taking a moment to appreciate how the Cutter received and then lost its name, Taney.
The ship, originally named the Roger B. Taney was named for, you guessed it, Roger Taney. In 1937, the name was shortened to just Taney. But why name a ship after Roger Taney?
Roger Taney was Secretary of the Treasury in 1833, and Cutter 37 was built with a group of ships which were all 'Treasury Secretary Class.' That is, they were all 327-foot cutters and all named after Treasury Secretaries. Why Treasury Secretaries?
This makes sense when you learn that until 1967, the Coast Guard was under the Department of the Treasury. Its original mission was to act as tariff enforcement and run anti-smuggling operations on behalf of the Treasury.
So, having a cluster of ships all named after the bosses of your department does sort of make sense.
But even here, we get our first hint that Taney will be a controversial name. In a move that feels uncomfortably modern, Roger Taney was appointed as Secretary of the Treasury by Andrew Jackson as a recess appointment. When Congress reconvened, they ultimately rejected Taney and he was booted from the post.
The Cutter loses the name Taney for actions Roger Taney took after his short stint as secretary. Jackson goes on to nominate Roger Taney to the Supreme Court, where he is eventually appointed. It's here that he authors the infamous Dred Scott decision:
On March 6, 1857, in the case of Dred Scott v. John Sanford, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled that African Americans were not and could not be citizens. Taney wrote that the Founders' words in the Declaration of Independence, “all men were created equal,” were never intended to apply to blacks. Blacks could not vote, travel, or even fall in love and marry of their own free will — rights granted, according to the Declaration, by God to all. It was the culmination of ten years of court battles — Dred Scott's fight to live and be recognized as a free man.
The High Court's decision went even further, declaring laws that restricted slavery in new states or sought to keep a balance between free and slave states, such as the Missouri Compromise, were unconstitutional. In essence, Black Americans, regardless of where they lived, were believed to be nothing more than commodities.
Ouch. In 2020, the curators of Cutter, announced: “in support of the local, national, and global call to remove symbols venerating oppression and racial injustice,” the organizations have decided to remove the ship’s name. For the moment, it will be referred to by its hull identification number, WHEC-37, which stands for High Endurance Cutter.
If anything, it's remarkable how long the name stuck. I can't imagine being a sailor of color serving on a vessel named after an individual who didn't just believe I had no rights, but actively sought to make that the law of the land.
From the Cutter, we had one more ship tour we wanted to squeeze in. Shiver me timbers, it's time to tour the pirate ship!
*And by we, I mean me and 4 year old G.
