USCGC Iroquois

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USCGC Iroquois (WHEC-43) was an Owasco-class high‑endurance cutter built for the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. It was built by Western Pipe & Steel in San Pedro, launched on October 22, 1944, and commissioned on February 9, 1946. Named after Lake Iroquois in Vermont, she served mainly in the Pacific and was based in Honolulu. She started as WPG-43 (patrol gunboat) and was later redesignated WHEC-43 (High Endurance Cutter).

Iroquois served on several Ocean Stations in the early 1950s, helping with weather reports and search-and-rescue duties. On June 29, 1954, while leaving Midway Atoll, she ran aground on a reef. Refloated on July 1, she sustained major hull damage and was towed to the Coast Guard Yard for repairs. After repairs, she continued in service until decommissioning on January 13, 1965. Her boilers were removed and given to her sister cutter Escanaba. Iroquois was sold for scrap on June 1, 1965.

Key facts:
- Length: about 254 feet; beam: about 43 feet; draft: about 17 feet 3 inches
- Speed: about 17 knots; Range: roughly 6,100 miles at 17 knots
- Crew: about 10 officers, 3 warrants, and 130 enlisted
- Armament changed over time, including early dual 5-inch guns and later a single 5-inch gun with a Hedgehog launcher