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The mural 8 x 12 -- 85 Kb
Miscellaneous close-ups of the mural, 70-90 Kb each.OSV-1 | OSV-2 | OSV-3

Ocean Station Vessel Launches a Weather Balloon in the North Atlantic Ocean, 1964

Donated by the Coast Guard Academy Class of 1955

This mural depicts a weather balloon launch from the 311-foot cutter CASCO in heavy seas on Ocean Station Bravo between Labrador and Greenland.

At the peak of World War II, there had been 22 ocean stations in the Atlantic and 24 in the Pacific manned by the U.S. Navy and other countries. Following the war this system was all but abandoned, despite the call from the U.S. Weather Bureau for some continuation. In 1947, at the urging of commercial aviation, ocean stations were again established in the Atlantic and Pacific, seven of which were the responsibility of the United States.

By 1955, the Coast Guard was manning four stations in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific, and this pattern continued until gradually winding down in the 1970s with the advent of satellites for navigation and weather observation.

Ocean Station patrol was 21 days on site, attempting to remain "on station" within a ten nautical mile square area while making weather observations every 6 hours using helium balloons carrying radiosondes. Meteorological and navigational information was provided to transoceanic aircraft and surface vessels using voice and CW radio. The cutter also emitted a steady CW radio signal
(— — — • • • = O S in Morse code) if "on station". The cutters remained ready for search and rescue operations and conducted oceanographic and anti-submarine warfare observations. A U.S. Public Health Service physician was on board for each patrol to provide medical assistance if needed.

USCGC CASCO (WAVP-370) was commissioned at Puget Sound, Washington in 1941 as USS CASCO (AVP-12). She was designed and served as a seaplane tender during World War II, one of 35 vessels of the 311-foot Barnegat class designated AVP. These ships displaced 1,800 tons and were powered by four diesel engines capable of generating 6,080 shaft horsepower that drove the vessel at 18 knots maximum speed. After the war, CASCO and 15 other vessels of the AVP class were transferred to the Coast Guard. All served well throughout the next two decades, with their primary duty being ocean station patrol. During the Vietnam conflict many of the WAVPs served as part of the Coast Guard's Squadron Three, providing gunfire support and interdiction. The Coast Guard's WAVPs ended their seagoing lives beginning in the 1960s either as part of the navies of other nations or as target vessels for the U.S. Navy. The last WAVP was decommissioned in 1988 after 45 years of service.

Class of 1962 Theme Champions: Larry Brooks & Carl Burkhart

Artist: Tony Falcone, Falcone Art Studio, 181 New Haven Road, Prospect, CT 06712. Original art measures 7'-0" x 4'-4", created 2004