USCG Air-Sea-Rescue Cutters ~ Shipbuilding History

USCG Air-Sea-Rescue Cutters

(WAVR)

By arrangement with the Navy, 71 Air-class cutters were delivered directly to the Coast Guard, modified for service as air-sea-rescue boats. These were SC-497-class wooden sub chasers, 111 feet long and 135 tons displacement, mostly built by yacht yards. As it turned out, few actually saw any service, which explains the lack of information on what happened to them.

		Name	Builder	Location	Delivered	Notes
SC-453	WAVR-411	Air Avocet	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	12 Aug 1941	prototype, to Haiti 1947 as 16 Aout 1946, sold 1957
SC-499	WAVR-412	Air Brandt	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	18 Mar 1942	later Lynn II
SC-511	WAVR-413	Air Cardinal	American Cruiser	Detroit MI	29 Jun 1942	fate unknown
SC-512	WAVR-414	Air Condor	American Cruiser	Detroit MI	10 Jul 1942	fate unknown
SC-536	WAVR-415	Air Cormorant	Peterson BW	Sturgeon Bay WI	23 Apr 1942	sold 1951 as Moonlight Maid, active?
SC-539	WAVR-416	Air Crow	Peterson BW	Sturgeon Bay WI	30 May 1942	sold 1948 as Linda, in Canada 1951
SC-540	WAVR-417	Air Curlew	Robinson Marine Const.	Benton Harbor MI	22 Apr 1942	sold 1952 as Barbara Jo, Savitar 1958, in Panama 1966
SC-541	WAVR-418	Air Drake	Robinson Marine Const.	Benton Harbor MI	6 May 1942	fate unknown
SC-635	WAVR-419	Air Eider	Mathis Yacht Building	Camden NJ	23 Oct 1942	to USCG 1945 as Air Eider (WAVR-419), sold as Yank, Bronx Queen, sank near Ambrose Light 1989
SC-642	WAVR-420	Air Egret	Peterson BW	Sturgeon Bay WI	4 Aug 1942	fate unknown
SC-653	WAVR-421	Air Falcon	Petersen, Julius	Nyack NY	8 Jul 1942	sold 1949 as Falcon, Americana 1959
SC-656	WAVR-422	Air Finch	Snow Shipyards	Rockland ME	11 Aug 1942	sold 1949 as Blue Bird
SC-659	WAVR-423	Air Gannet	American Cruiser	Wilmington DE	7 Oct 1942	Air Gannet 1959, burned 1963
SC-662	WAVR-424	Air Goose	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	10 Jun 1942	sold 1949 as Neptune
SC-665	WAVR-425	Air Grayleg	Dachel-Carter SB	Benton Harbor MI	10 Aug 1942	transferred cancelled
SC-670	WAVR-426	Air Grebe	Inland Waterways	Duluth MN	2 Sep 1942	sold 1949 as Grebe
SC-672	WAVR-427	Air Gull	Knutson SB	Halesite NY	22 Jun 1942	sold 1959 as fishing vessel Ensign
SC-682	WAVR-428	Air Hawk	American Cruiser	Wilmington DE	9 Nov 1942	Air Hawk 1959
SC-684	WAVR-429	Air Heron	American Cruiser	Wilmington DE	21 Nov 1942	fate unknown
SC-710	WAVR-430	Air Ibis	Dooley's Basin & DD	Fort Lauderdale FL	7 Nov 1942	fate unknown
SC-711	WAVR-431	Air Jay	Dooley's Basin & DD	Fort Lauderdale FL	2 Jan 1943	North Sea 1959, Cap'n Johnnie, deleted 1983
SC-714	WAVR-432	Air Kestrel	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	20 Nov 1942	fate unknown
SC-715	WAVR-433	Air Killdeer	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	4 Dec 1942	sold 1946 as Cape Pine
SC-717	WAVR-434	Air Lapwing	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	14 May 1943	sold as Lindsay C. Warren, Victory 1959
SC-753	WAVR-435	Air Linnet	Robinson Marine Const.	Benton Harbor MI	14 Apr 1943	Halcyon II 1959
SC-758	WAVR-436	Air Loon	Robinson Marine Const.	Benton Harbor MI	14 Sep 1943	sold 1949 as Loon
SC-772	WAVR-437	Air Mallard	Peyton Co.	Newport Beach CA	15 Apr 1943	sold 1947 as Lady Goodiver, B&B in Scapoose OR
SC-775	WAVR-438	Air Martin	Peyton Co.	Newport Beach CA	30 Jul 1943	Milmar 1959
SC-985	WAVR-439	Air Merlin	John E. Matton	Cohoes NY	19 Dec 1942	Miss Morehead 1959, abandoned 1964
SC-987	WAVR-440	Air Oriole	John E. Matton	Cohoes NY	7 Jun 1943	later fishing vessel Empress, Lillian B 1959, CTL-1976
SC-988	WAVR-441	Air Owl	John E. Matton	Cohoes NY	14 Jul 1943	fate unknown
SC-989	WAVR-442	Air Parakeet	John E. Matton	Cohoes NY	2 Aug 1943	sold 1949 as Milbon
SC-996	WAVR-443	Air Parrot	Island Dock	Kingston NY	6 Nov 1942	fate unknown
SC-1003	WAVR-444	Air Partridge	Fellows & Stewart	Wilmington CA	24 Dec 1942	sold 1949 as Mickey Lee
SC-1004	WAVR-445	Air Peacock	Fellows & Stewart	Wilmington CA	21 Jan 1943	sold 1949 as San Juanderer
SC-1009	WAVR-446	Air Pelican	Fellows & Stewart	Wilmington CA	25 Jun 1943	Pelican 1959
SC-1010	WAVR-447	Air Penguin	Fellows & Stewart	Wilmington CA	15 Jul 1943	fate unknown
SC-1013	WAVR-448	Air Petrel	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	21 Sep 1942	sold 1947 as Mount Independence, sank 2005
SC-1015	WAVR-449	Air Pheasant	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	20 Oct 1942	sold 1948 to Morton Salt as a mail boat in the Bahamas, as Air Pheasant until scuttled in 1982
SC-1016	WAVR-450	Air Phoebe	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	15 Dec 1942	fate unknown
SC-1017	WAVR-451	Air Pigeon	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	29 Dec 1942	fate unknown
SC-1022	WAVR-452	Air Piper	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	9 Jun 1943	sold 1949 as Evelyn L. Willis
SC-1023	WAVR-453	Air Plover	Mathis Yacht Building	Camden NJ	18 Dec 1942	fate unknown
SC-1027	WAVR-454	Air Puffin	Mathis Yacht Building	Camden NJ	2 Feb 1943	fate unknown
SC-1028	WAVR-455	Air Quail	Mathis Yacht Building	Camden NJ	27 Mar 1943	Air Quail 1959, Cajun Queen, deleted 1991
SC-1032	WAVR-456	Air Raven	Peterson BW	Sturgeon Bay WI	18 Feb 1943	sold 1949 as Sheila, wrecked 1963
SC-1033	WAVR-457	Air Redwing	Peterson BW	Sturgeon Bay WI	5 Apr 1943	sold 1950 as Hunter, wrecked 1962
SC-1037	WAVR-458	Air Robin	Peterson BW	Sturgeon Bay WI	7 Jul 1943	sold 1947 as Robin, Emerald Pacific 1977
SC-1038	WAVR-459	Air Rook	Peterson BW	Sturgeon Bay WI	16 Jul 1943	sold 1948 as Rande A
SC-1054	WAVR-460	Air Ruff	Wilmington BW	Wilmington CA	6 Apr 1943	sold 1949 as Ida-M
SC-1055	WAVR-461	Air Sheldrake	Wilmington BW	Wilmington CA	10 May 1943	DeEtta 1959
SC-1062	WAVR-462	Air Shrike	Harris & Parsons	East Greenwich RI	27 Feb 1943	sold 1949 as Mary Jane
SC-1063	WAVR-463	Air Skimmer	Victory SB	Holland MI	13 Feb 1943	Perry L 1959
SC-1064	WAVR-464	Air Skylark	Victory SB	Holland MI	4 May 1943	to Haiti 1947 as Toussaint L'Ouverture (GC-3), sold 1959
SC-1068	WAVR-465	Air Snipe	Mathis Yacht Building	Camden NJ	13 Apr 1943	sold 1948 as Air Snipe
SC-1069	WAVR-466	Air Sparrow	Mathis Yacht Building	Camden NJ	26 Apr 1943	Get Along 1959
SC-1070	WAVR-467	Air Starling	Mathis Yacht Building	Camden NJ	24 May 1943	sold 1949 as Reefer Clipper, Coastal Researcher I
SC-1296	WAVR-468	Air Stork	W. A. Robinson	Ipswich MA	16 Sep 1943	George R. Wallace 1959
SC-1297	WAVR-469	Air Swallow	W. A. Robinson	Ipswich MA	8 Oct 1943	sold 1948
SC-1307	WAVR-470	Air swan	Daytona Beach BW	Daytona Beach FL	2 Oct 1943	Tejena III 1959
SC-1329	WAVR-471	Air swift	Simms Bros.	Dorchester MA	8 May 1943	sold 1947 as Elmar, samk 1979
SC-1347	WAVR-472	Air Tanager	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	3 Sep 1943	Tanager 1950
SC-1348	WAVR-473	Air Teal	Fisher Boatworks	Detroit MI	1 Oct 1943	to Haiti 1947 as Amiral Killick (GC-4), discarded 1954
SC-1355	WAVR-474	Air Tern	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	10 Jul 1943	sold 1949 as Chief, Mount Independence 1981, deleted 2008
SC-1356	WAVR-475	Air Thrush	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	18 Aug 1943	sold 1949 as Marge
SC-1357	WAVR-476	Air Toucan	Luders Marine	Stamford CT	31 Aug 1943	sold 1949 as Claire Ellin, J. D. Harrington 1959
SC-1362	WAVR-477	Air Warbler	Peyton Co.	Newport Beach CA	6 Sep 1943	Warbler 1959
SC-1367	WAVR-478	Air Waxwing	Wilmington BW	Wilmington CA	10 Sep 1943	fate unknown
SC-1369	WAVR-479	Air Willet	Wilmington BW	Wilmington CA	12 Nov 1943	Gleaner 1959
SC-1373	WAVR-480	Air Wren	Fellows & Stewart	Wilmington CA	1 Nov 1943	fate unknown
SC-1339	WAVR-481	Air Scaup	Knutson SB	Halesite NY	8 Nov 1943	sold 1949 as Houston Pilot No. 3
SC-1340	WAVR-482	Air Scoter	Knutson SB	Halesite NY	4 Dec 1943	sold 1949 as Elmar, sank 1979