USS Nourmahal (PG-72) was a gunboat used by the United States Coast Guard and United States Navy during the Second World War.
 USS Nourmahal circa 1943
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Nourmahal |
| Builder | Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Launched | 1928 |
| Out of service | Acquired by the United States Coast Guard on 21 March 1940 |
| History | |
 United States | |
| Name | USCGC Nourmahal |
| Acquired | 21 March 1940 |
| Commissioned | 21 August 1940 |
| Decommissioned | 30 May 1946 |
| In service | Returned to Coast Guard on 29 December 1943 |
| Out of service |
|
| History | |
 United States | |
| Name | USS Nourmahal |
| Acquired |
|
| Commissioned | 9 April 1943 |
| In service | Returned to the Navy in May 1947 |
| Out of service | Returned to the Coast Guard on 29/31 December 1943 |
| Stricken | 12 January 1944 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Gunboat |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 263 ft 10 in (80.42 m) |
| Beam | 41 ft 6 in (12.65 m) |
| Draft | 18 ft 5 in (5.61 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Call sign NRMW [1] |
Construction
editThe Nourmahal was originally built as a yacht for multi-millionaire Vincent Astor in 1928 at Krupp Iron Works in Kiel, Germany. This was the third Astor family yacht to bear the name, replacing a smaller Nourmahal designed by Cox & Stevens, Inc. and built by Robert Jacob Shipyard, City Island NY., launched March, 1921.[2][3] Astor was the heir to a large New York real estate fortune after his father, John Jacob Astor IV, died aboard the RMS Titanic in 1912.
Second World War
editWith the outbreak of the Second World War, Nourmahal was acquired by the Coast Guard on 21 March 1940 and was commissioned USCGC Nourmahal (WPG-72) on 21 August 1940. Nourmahal was acquired 3 March 1942 by the Navy from Astor under a bareboat charter agreement under which the vessel was to be operated by the Coast Guard under Navy ownership.[4] Nourmahal was designated (PG-72) 9 April 1943 and purchased by the Navy for $1,000,000 under an option of the charter on 25 June 1943 (29 June in DANFS).[5] She was returned to the Coast Guard on 29 December 1943 and reclassified as WPG-122 and was struck from the Naval Register on 12 January 1944.[4]
Post war
editNourmahal was decommissioned on 30 May 1946 and returned to Navy custody in May 1947.
Nourmahal was transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal on 18 July 1948 and, after several advertisements with no bids accepted the ship remained in the James River Fleet until sold for scrap on 11 September 1964 to Hughes Brothers, Inc. of Hampden, Maine for $27,502.[5] The ship was withdrawn from the fleet on 24 September 1964.[5]
Awards
editReferences
edit- ^ SemperParatus.com U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) by Noun Name http://semperparatus.com/cutter_names_n-z.htm Retrieved: 26 July 2015
- ^ MacKay, Robert B. (2014). Great Yachts of Long Island's North Shore. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4671-2152-1. LCCN 2013950193. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "The City Island Yacht" (PDF). City Island Nautical Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS): Nourmahal". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b c "NOURMAHAL (PG-72/WPG-72/WPG-122)". MARAD Vessel History Database; Status Cards. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
Sources
edit- http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/09072.htm Retrieved: 12 April 2015
- U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Nourmahal_PG72.pdf Retrieved 12 April 2015