USCGC Acushnet (WMEC-167) is a distinguished United States Coast Guard cutter with a storied history dating back to her origins as USS Shackle (ARS-9), a Diver-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned during World War II. Laid down on October 26, 1942, by Basalt Rock Company in Napa, California, and launched on April 1, 1943, she was commissioned in February 1944. Constructed rapidly due to wartime needs, Shackle served primarily in the Pacific Theater as a salvage vessel, performing extensive rescue, salvage, and mine-sweeping operations across key locations such as Pearl Harbor, Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. Her notable wartime achievements include over 44 salvage and diving assignments at Iwo Jima, supporting the Okinawa invasion, and sinking enemy mines in the East China Sea. She received three battle stars and several medals for her WWII service. Transferred to the Coast Guard in August 1946, she was renamed USCGC Acushnet and initially homeported in Portland, Maine. As a Coast Guard vessel, she earned a reputation as a dependable search and rescue asset, participating in notable rescues such as the sinking of the SS Fort Mercer in 1952, where she rescued 18 men amid treacherous seas. Her roles included ice patrol, fire fighting, and vessel salvage, notably assisting a grounded vessel in Maine and rescuing a Cuban refugee in 1967. Redesignated in 1968 as an oceanographic research ship (WAGO-167), Acushnet supported NOAA’s Data Buoy Project, aiding in positioning buoys and conducting scientific missions. Her versatility extended to law enforcement, drug interdiction, and disaster response, including the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980 and multiple marijuana seizures. Throughout her service, she operated along the Gulf Coast, in Alaska, and the Bering Sea, performing search, rescue, law enforcement, and scientific duties. Acushnet was designated the "Queen of the Fleet" in 2007, marking her as the oldest commissioned cutter in the fleet until her decommissioning on March 11, 2011. Her long service record, spanning over 67 years, underscores her significance in maritime rescue, military operations, scientific research, and law enforcement. Currently undergoing restoration, Acushnet remains a symbol of the Coast Guard’s enduring legacy.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.