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FIGHTING SHIPS OF THE WORLD
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COAST GUARD SHIPS AND CRAFT
"WIND" cutters - icebreakers (NORTHWIND) (1944 - 1945)


Photo



Eastwind after WWII

Ships


No Name Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comm Fate
WAG278, 5.1966- WAGB278 Northwind, 1.1952- Staten Island 96 Western Pipe & Steel, San Francisco 6.1942 28.12.1942 2/1944 // 1.1952 to Soviet Union before commission 2.1944-1/1952 (Северный Ветер[Severnyy Vetyer]), sold 1975
WAG279, 5.1966- WAGB279 Eastwind 97 Western Pipe & Steel, San Francisco 6.1942 6.2.1943 6.1944 sold 1972
WAG280, 5.1966- WAGB280 Southwind, 4.1950- Atka, 10.1966- Southwind 98 Western Pipe & Steel, San Francisco 7.1942 8.3.1943 7.1944 to Soviet Union 3.1945-4/1950 (Капитан Белоусов[Kapitan Belousov]), sold 3.1976
WAG281, 5.1966- WAGB281 Westwind 99 Western Pipe & Steel, San Francisco 8.1942 31.3.1943 9/1944 to Soviet Union 2.1945-12/1951 (Северный Полюс[Severnyy Polius]), sold 2.1988
WAG282, 5.1966- WAGB282 Northwind   Western Pipe & Steel, San Francisco 7.1944 25.2.1945 7/1945 sold 1.1989


Technical data


Displacement standard, t3500
Displacement full, t6515
Length, m

82.0
Breadth, m

19.4
Draught, m

7.85 max
No of shafts2 aft, 1 fore
Machinery

3 electric motors, 3 Fairbanks-Morse diesel-generators
Power, h. p.12000
Max speed, kts

16.8 trials
Fuel, t

diesel oil 1370
Endurance, nm(kts)50000 (11)
Armament

2 x 2 - 127/38 Mk 12, 3 x 4 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4, 1 x 24 - 178 Hedgehog Mk 10 ASWRL, 6 DCT, 2 DCR, 1 seaplane (J2F)
Electronic equipmentpresumably SF or SG or SL or SU, Mk 12.22 or Mk 25 radars
Complement

316


Standard scale images


<i>Southwind</i> 1945
Southwind 1945


Graphics


<i>Eastwind</i> after WWII
Eastwind after WWII


Project history

Registered as large cutters, "Wind" class ships were icebreakers with the armament similar to Owasco class cutters. Unlike the latter, their building had much higher priority as the ships were supposed to be used for supply of US bases in Greenland, and for conducting of Arctic convoys.

The project provided bow screw for improvement of manoeuvrability and ice diffusion, however it has shown impracticality and has been removed.

Modernizations

1945, all: fore shaft was removed, fore ER was converted to cargo hold.

1/1946: 2 x 2 - 127/38 Mk 38, 3 x 4 - 40/60 Mk 2, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 10, 1 x 24 - 178 Hedgehog Mk 10 ASWRL, 6 DCT, 2 DCR, 1 seaplane, SF or SG or SL or SU, Mk 12.22 or Mk 25 radars

1970s, both survived: unarmed, 2x nav. radars

1980s, both survived: - 2x nav. radars; + 2x SPS-64 radars

Naval service

No significant events.