USCGC Seneca (1908)

USCGC Seneca, probably circa 1920s
History
United States
Name
  • USRC Seneca (1908 to 1915)
  • USCGC Seneca (1915 and later)
NamesakeA tribe of the Iroquois Indians
OperatorUnited States Coast Guard
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding
CostUS$244,500
Launched18 March 1908
Sponsored byMiss Edith E. Hepburn
Commissioned12 November 1908
Decommissioned21 March 1936
FateScrapped 1950
General characteristics
Displacement1,259 tons
Length204 ft (62 m)
Beam34 ft (10 m)
Draft17 ft 3 in (5.26 m)
PropulsionTriple-expansion steam engine, 20 in (0.51 m), 32 in (0.81 m), 52 in (1.3 m) diameter X 36 in (0.91 m) stroke; two boilers
Speed11.2 maximum (1930)
Complement
  • 9 officers, 65 enlisted (1908)
  • 8 officers, 4 warrant officers, 75 enlisted
  • (1917),
Armament4 × 6-pounder (57 mm (2.2 in)) rapid fire guns (1908)

USCGC Seneca, or before 1915 USRC Seneca, was a United States Coast Guard cutter built and commissioned as a "derelict destroyer" with the specific mission of locating and then destroying abandoned shipwrecks that were still afloat and were a menace to navigation. She was designed with excellent sea-keeping qualities, a long cruising range, good towing capabilities, and by necessity the capacity to store a large amount of munitions. She was one of five Coast Guard cutters serving with the U.S. Navy in European waters during World War I.