The USCGC Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34) was a prominent Treasury-class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard, constructed at the New York Navy Yard. Her keel was laid on September 11, 1935, and she was launched on January 6, 1937. The vessel’s design was modeled after the U.S. Navy's Erie class of gunboats, and she was sometimes referred to as part of the Secretary class of Coast Guard cutters. Initially, her name was shortened to Hamilton in 1937, but it was restored to Alexander Hamilton in January 1942 to avoid confusion with the destroyer USS Hamilton. The Alexander Hamilton was a formidable presence on the seas until her tragic sinking in January 1942. On January 29, 1942, during World War II, she was torpedoed on the starboard side by the German U-boat U-132 near Reykjavík, Iceland. The explosion resulted in the instant death of twenty men and a total of 26 fatalities. Following the attack, she capsized on January 30, and salvage efforts were abandoned. The USS Ericsson, a U.S. destroyer, fired upon her wreck, which was then deliberately sunk approximately 28 miles from the Icelandic coast. Her wreck was discovered in 2009 by the Icelandic Coast Guard in Faxaflói Bay, and subsequent exploration confirmed her identity. In 2010, notable figures such as Paul Allen visited the site, and in 2011, a team of divers conducted the first known dive on the wreck at a depth of 95 meters (312 feet), setting several Icelandic diving records. The wreck lies upside down, with visibility around 4 meters, and water temperatures at depth of about 45°F (7°C). In August 2013, divers attached a memorial plaque to honor the crew members who served and perished during the attack, preserving the vessel’s maritime significance. The Alexander Hamilton remains a symbol of U.S. Coast Guard history and wartime sacrifice, remembered through underwater exploration and memorial efforts.

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