USCGC Taney, Baltimore

The Coast Guard Cutter Taney was built in Philadelphia in 1935 and 1936. Her first home port was Honolulu, Hawaii, where she conducted search and rescue missions and interdicted opium smugglers. As World War II approached, additional guns were added to her deck. She was moored at Pier 6 on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked and contributed to the defense of Honolulu. The ship was then assigned to anti-submarine patrols and convoy duties in the Pacific. In 1943, the ship was refitted again and served on convoys in the Atlantic which took American troops and supplies to North Africa. In 1945, she returned to the Pacific and fought during the battle for Okinawa as an amphibious command ship.

After the war ended, she was stationed in California and performed numerous search and rescue missions, ocean weather patrols, and law enforcement activities. She served briefly during the Vietnam War in Operation Market Time in the South China Sea. She continued to serve on standard Coast Guard duties in the Atlantic through the 1970s and 1980s. Taney was decommission on December 7, 1986, on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. It was the last vessel afloat that had survived Pearl Harbor. The ship was donated to Baltimore and became part of the Historic Ships in Baltimore attraction.

Walking to the Taney

Side view of the ship

On shore anchor

National Historic Landmark plaque

Our tour of the Taney started below decks in one of the wardrooms.

Historic displays

We found the first of several kitchen nearby!

Ready for a snack

Almost there

Model of a different boat!

The officers' quarters were our next stop.

Officer's state room

First Lieutenant's Stateroom

Officers' Mess/Wardroom

Bits of the engine room were visible but not tourable.

Pipes!

My son walks out of the picture

No explanation of what a battle lantern is, sorry!

The boiler room had some interesting decorations painted on the inside, probably because they were near the main kitchen.

On-board product placement

Crew mess hall

Food service area

Dishwashing area

We were amazed how close the bunks are. In addition to the hardships of battle and being at sea, the sailors had to deal with very little personal space on board.

Bunks

A tight fit, even for a four-year old!

Lockers

One map showed the layout of Pearl Harbor and listed all the ships lost.

Pearl Harbor map

Unbeknownst to the rest of us, my daughter found a scavenger hunt and was surreptitiously gathering stamps at various stations. Luckily, the boys weren't too jealous.

Getting a stamp for the scavenger hunt

More fun than collecting stamps is climbing stairs!

Upstairs we saw one of the large bathrooms!

Plenty of room for plenty of personnel

Various other offices were stationed on the main floor.

Weapons

Another stamp

The barber's

The Ship's Store

The Ship's Store provided snacks, drinks, and cigarettes, as well as personal items and ship-branded merchandise (like post cards and caps).

Back on deck, we went up to the command center and saw the main gun along with other vital equipment.

View from the front of the ship

Pilot's room?

Radio room

Spare boat

Part of the fun of visiting the boat (for my kids, at least) was clambering through small doors and up or down the staircases that were practically ladders. Their favorite part was when I'd bump my head. I guess I am too tall to serve!

Climbing down the correct way

Proof of correct descent

By this point we were pretty exhausted from visiting ships and saved the fourth ship, the USS Constellation, for another visit. Happily, posting our adventures has gone slow enough that the Constellation will show up next week!