The USCGC Mallow (WLB-396) was an Iris-class buoy tender built for the United States Coast Guard, launched on December 9, 1943, and commissioned on June 6, 1944. As part of the Iris-class, she was constructed following the Mesquite-class design, with a construction cost of approximately $926,926. The vessel measured 180 feet (55 meters) in length, with a beam of 37 feet (11 meters) and a draft initially of 12 feet (3.7 meters), later increased to 14 feet 7 inches (4.45 meters) in 1966. Her displacement at commissioning was 935 long tons, later rising to 1,026 long tons in 1966. Powered by a single electric motor connected to two Westinghouse generators driven by two Cooper Bessemer GND-8 diesel engines, the Mallow had a maximum sustained speed of around 13 knots, though her speed decreased to approximately 11.9 knots in 1966. For operational efficiency, she initially cruised at about 8.3 knots, increasing slightly to 8.5 knots by 1966. Her complement comprised six officers and seventy-four crew members in 1945, which was later reduced in 1966 to two warrants, four officers, and forty-seven enlisted personnel. Equipped with navigational and sonar systems such as the SL1 radar and QBE-3A sonar (added in 1945), the Mallow's armament included a 3"/50 caliber gun, two 20 mm/80 guns, Mousetraps, depth charge tracks, and Y-guns, although these weapons were removed in 1966. She was primarily used for Aids to Navigation (ATON) and served in the Pacific during World War II, based in San Francisco. After the war, she was stationed in Astoria, Oregon, starting in September 1946. Throughout her service, the Mallow was involved in notable operations, including assisting in towing Yuma with Tinian in 1958 and helping recover debris from the United Airlines Flight 811 crash off Hawaii in 1989. The vessel was eventually scrapped at the head of the Wicomico River in Salisbury, Maryland, marking the end of her distinguished maritime career.

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