USCGC Courier (WAGR-410)

“A Battleship Without Guns”

with contributions by

Captain John T. Andrews, USCG (ret) (First Lieutenant WAGR-410, XO WTR-410)

Clint McAuliffe (son of the late Captain C. Earl McAuliffe, USCG (ret), USCGA Class of 1943)

Lance Arlander (son of the late Commander Richard P. Arlander, USCG (ret), USCGA Class of 1945)

Robert Hickman (son of the late CWO3 Russell R. Hickman, USCG (ret))

Figure 1 – Two Greek Boys Marvel at the Sight of the Courier

On August 22nd

of 1952 a very strange looking vessel arrived at the port of Rhodes, Greece. The USCGC

Courier (WAGR-410), under the Command of Captain Oscar C.V. Wev (USCGA Class of 1931), was about

to begin a very unusual and unique SAR (Search And Rescue) mission that would last for 12 years, far from

the Coast of the USA. The USCGC Courier’s mission was to act as a floating transmitter for the US

Information Agency’s Voice of America Radio Service. This “Battleship Without Guns” (as described in the

08/03/1952 issue of the Baltimore Sun) was “armed” with a 150 KW RCA Medium Wave transmitter and

two 35 KW Collins Short Wave transmitters. These powerful weapons, and the Voice of America

programming that they carried, enabled the USCGC Courier to carry out its mission of helping countless

people trapped behind the Iron Curtain in their Search for the truth and their ultimate Rescue from the

forces of tyranny when the Cold War came to an end many years later.

This story begins with the Voice of America’s first experience with shipboard broadcasting during World

War II. At that time the VOA operated under the Office of War Information. On the morning of November

8th

of 1942 an experimental 5 KW Medium Wave VOA transmitter aboard the battleship USS Texas was

used to broadcast information to the people of French Morocco. Later in the day Operation Torch, the

invasion of North Africa, was well underway and the USS Texas began its shore bombardment duties. The

shock and vibration of the big guns was too much for the VOA transmitter and the first VOA shipboard

broadcast experiment was over. The VOA was transferred to the State Department in late 1945; control of

the VOA was passed to the newly formed US Information Agency in 1953.

The Courier’s story begins when the keel for hull number 21 (Maritime Commission number 2149, a C1-M-

AV1 freighter) was laid at the Froemming Brothers Shipyard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 25th

of

1945. The original destiny of this C1-M-AV1 hull was to be the USS Doddridge, AK-176; the hull was

launched as the Doddridge on March 23rd

of 1945. Due to the end of the War in Europe the acquisition of the

Doddridge was cancelled, and the ship was completed and delivered as the M/V Coastal Messenger in May

of 1945. During its life as the M/V Coastal Messenger the ship was operated by both the Standard Fruit

Steamship Company and Grace Line, Inc., primarily along the coasts to northern South America. After a

grounding incident in Venezuela the slightly damaged M/V Coastal Messenger was apparently mothballed

with the reserve fleet.

Figure 2 – The Coastal Messenger becomes the Courier in Hoboken

In 1951 the Cold War was well underway and the State Department was seeking ways to better have its VOA

programming reach behind the Iron Curtain. Drawing upon the VOA’s early experience with shipboard

broadcasting, Operation “Vagabond” was conceived as an effective way to extend the reach of the VOA. The

M/V Coastal Messenger was transferred from the reserve fleet to the State Department and the ship was

moved to the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Hoboken NJ. There its metamorphosis from M/V Coastal

Messenger to USCGC Courier (WAGR-410) took place. The Courier was to be the first of six VOA sea

based transmitters and was thus designated “Vagabond Able”; budget constraints ended plans for a fleet of

such ships and the Courier became “one of a kind”; the Coast Guard, with its tradition of supplying all

federal agencies with maritime support when needed, was a natural for this job. By making the ship an

unarmed US Coast Guard Cutter and by having it manned and operated by a US Coast Guard crew the State

Department hoped to ensure that the ship posed no military threat to any nation.

Figure 3 – President Truman Dedicates the Courier

The USCGC Courier (WAGR-410) was commissioned in Hoboken on February 15th

of 1952. Following her

commissioning the Courier set sail for the nation’s capital, where she would be dedicated by President Harry

S. Truman. At the dedication ceremony on March 4th

, 1952 President Truman said “Courier is well named,

for it will be carrying a message of hope and friendship to all those who are oppressed by tyranny; it will be

carrying a message of truth and light to those who are confused by the storm of falsehood that the

Communists have loosed upon the world. Its significance lies in the fact that it will carry the fight for

freedom to where the ultimate victory has to be won – in the minds of men.” President Truman’s remarks at

the dedication were broadcast from the Courier’s deck to a worldwide audience via the VOA.

Figure 4 – Courier in the Panama Canal

Following the dedication the Courier set sail on a voyage to test her equipment. That voyage took her to

Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, and Mexico. The Courier actually went through the Panama Canal to the

Pacific, where she apparently was preparing for a long trip to Korean waters for her first broadcasting duties.

However, plans changed and this mobile VOA transmitter returned to the Atlantic and arrived in New York

on June 18th

, 1952. She set sail from New York, bound for Rhodes Greece, on July 17th

, 1952. On the way to

Rhodes she made stops in Tangiers Morocco, Naples Italy, and Piraeus Greece. She arrived in Rhodes on

August 22nd

and began broadcasting on September 7th

, 1952.

Figure 5 – Courier at the Pier in Rhodes, with Inverted Delta Antenna and the “Bird Cage”

It didn’t take long for the Courier’s crew and the attached VOA personnel to realize that the use of the

balloon supported long wire antenna for the 150 KW Medium Wave transmitter was very impractical,

particularly in foul weather. The balloon broke loose on several occasions and drifted to the nearby coast of

Turkey. VOA Engineer Ivan Boor designed an Inverted Delta antenna (deployed between the masts) that

served as an effective replacement for the balloon supported long wire antenna. The balloons, helium tanks,

and the long wire antenna were put in storage, with the crew occasionally practicing how to inflate and

deploy the balloon, just in case it might be needed.

In this era that preceded communications satellites, the relaying of VOA Short Wave broadcasts from the

USA required the use of Short Wave receivers. The antennas for those receivers were located on the stern of

the ship and were often overwhelmed by the strong signals from the ship’s transmitters. In an attempt to

overcome this self-induced interference a cage like structure of steel beams (technically, a Faraday Shield)

was erected around the stern and the receiving antennas were moved aft of the shield, adjacent to the ship’s

flag staff. This arrangement (affectionately called the “Bird Cage”) provided some relief from self-induced

interference, but not enough. The ultimate solution came in the form of a VOA manned receiving site on the

hill overlooking the harbor of Rhodes. The received signals were sent to the Courier via a point to point UHF

radio link. That link was designed to reach the Courier at its two normal broadcasting locations – at the pier

of the main harbor, and at anchor about a mile out from Saint Nicholas Lighthouse. When the Courier

occasionally sailed to nearby islands, or to various dry dock facilities for maintenance, the shipboard

receivers were used and/or “local” programming was originated from the ship’s broadcast studio equipped

with microphones, a gimbal mounted turntable, and numerous tape decks.

Figure 6 – Courier at Anchor off Rhodes – After becoming USCG White in 1958

The Courier and its crew of 10 officers, 80 enlisted, and 3 VOA engineers served on the island of Rhodes for

a total of 12 years. Married crew members could be accompanied by their families (wives and children).

Thus a small American community was established on the island, with rented apartments and homes being

used for housing. A K through 8 “Courier School” was established in a leased building. Over the years

teachers at the school included local Greeks, travelling Fulbright scholars, USCG crew members, and the

wives of crew members. To say the least, the school and its setting were a unique educational and life

altering experience for the children. The Courier crew and their families were U.S. Ambassadors to this tiny

island for 12 years and enjoyed the experience greatly. The presence of the crew’s families represented a

strong commitment, which resonated with the local population. Their presence helped to boost the local

economy in a badly needed way. Strong and friendly relations were established with the local community of

Rhodes. In many cases those relationships resulted in marriages, which again strengthened the bond between

the Courier community and the local population. Many of the Rhodian women who married crew members

ultimately moved to the USA and became U.S. Citizens.

During the Courier’s stay in Rhodes a special symbiotic relationship developed between the Courier and the

U.S. Navy’s 6th

Fleet. The presence of a small American community on Rhodes, the Courier Club and its

baseball fields, and the local sights provided an inducement for many liberty calls by various ships of the 6th

Fleet. Those ships provided needed supplies to the Courier, its crew, and their families. In addition, the

occasional presence of those ships provided a much needed sense of security during those troubled Cold War

years.

Figure 7 – Courier and the 6th

Fleet (USS Des Moines & USS Forrestal)

Figure 8 – Courier Leaving Rhodes

In 1964 the VOA established (with the permission of the Greek government) a land based transmitter facility

in the village of Afondou on Rhodes. The need for the floating VOA transmitter known as the USCGC

Courier (WAGR-410) had come to an end; her transmissions ceased on May 17th

, 1964. The ship’s radio

equipment was removed and donated to the Greek government. The “bird cage” on the ship’s stern was

dismantled, and many of the crew’s personal vehicles were loaded onto the Courier’s “flight deck” for the

voyage home. The Courier departed Rhodes and returned to Yorktown Virginia on August 13th

, 1964. At that

time she was flying a very large “return home” pendant marking her 12 year deployment away from the

USA, a record (at that time) for any commissioned U.S. vessel.

Figure 9 – Courier as a Training Ship – WTR-410

The Courier was decommissioned on August 25th

, 1964 and was used as a dockside training aid for the

USCG Reserve Training Center in Yorktown. The Courier underwent additional modifications (to

accommodate more personnel) and was commissioned as a training ship (WTR-410) on April 30th

, 1966.

During her role as a training ship for Coast Guard Reservists the Courier operated along the Atlantic Coast,

the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes (where she was “born”). Her role as a training ship ended when she

was decommissioned in 1972 and transferred to the James River Reserve fleet. The life of this special ship

came to an end in 1975 when she made her last journey to the ship breakers and became scrap steel – a sad

end for such a lady.

The story does not end with the end of the Courier. The crew members of the Courier and their familes

(wives, sons, and daughters) found it impossible to leave behind the memories of the Courier, its special

deployment to Rhodes Greece, and the bonds that were formed during that special time. The USCGC

Courier/VOA Association was formed and many reunions were held over the years:

1973 - Washington DC

1986 - Orlando FL

1989 - Orlando FL

1992 - Williamsburg VA (the Commandant’s Unit Commendation was presented to the members)

1994 - Las Vegas NV

1996 - Plymouth MA

1998 - Virginia Beach VA

2000 - Nashville TN

2002 - Rhodes Greece (marking the 50th

anniversary of the Courier’s arrival in Rhodes)

2003 - San Diego CA

2004 - Caribbean Cruise (aboard Royal Caribbean “Mariner of the Sea”)

2005 - Rhodes Greece & Council Bluffs IA

2006 - Las Vegas NV

2007 - Rhodes Greece

2009 - New London CT (joint reunion with USCGC Kukui (WAK-186))

2010 - The Villages FL

2011 - Folly Beach (near Charleston) SC

2012 - Rhodes Greece (marking the 60th

anniversary of the Courier’s arrival in Rhodes)

At the 2009 reunion in New London it was noted that the USCGA Museum contained no mention of or

memorabilia from the Courier. In November of 2012 it was decided to correct that situation and the USCGC

Courier/VOA Memorial Foundation was established. The foundation has raised most of the required funds

(for the model and for other exhibit materials), and has procured the services of a professional model maker

to construct a museum quality model of the USCGC Courier (WAGR-410), as it appeared in the 1958-1959

time frame. The model will be gifted to the United States Coast Guard. If anyone reading this article is

inclined to help in our fund raising efforts, donations may be made to:

USCGC Courier/VOA Memorial Foundation

c/o Maria K. Lowther

P O BOX 1252

Folly Beach, S C 29439

Ms. Jennifer Gaudio, curator of the USCGA Museum, has agreed to incorporate the Foundation’s model of

the Courier in a special “Cold War Era” exhibit that will be unveiled and dedicated on June 19th

, 2014.

Members of the USCGC Courier/VOA Memorial Foundation are assisting in the preparation of the exhibit.

Commanding Officers

Captain Oscar C. V. Wev, 1951-1954

Captain Harry E. Davis: 1954-1956

Captain John H. Wagline: 1956-1958

Commander George W. Stedman, Jr.: 1958-1960

Captain P. G. Prins: 1960-1963

Captain Albert F. Wayne: 1963-1964

Commander Richard T. Houlette: 1965-1968

Commander John O'Malley: 1968-1970

Commander Benjamin R. Sheaffer: 1970-1972

References:

“The Proud Little Cargo Ship”, December 1984 issue of the USCS LOG

http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/courier_wagr410_photos.asp

http://www.uscg.mil/tcyorktown/info/History/Cutters/courier.asp

http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Courier1952.asp

http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2011/11/voice-of-america-shipboard-radio.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Courier_(WAGR-410)

http://www.ontheshortwaves.com/Courier_Photos.html

http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencylarge/wwtwo/froemming.htm

http://content.mpl.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/RememberWhe&CISOPTR=428&CISOBOX=

1&REC=3