The USCGC Winona (WHEC-65) was an Owasco-class high endurance cutter constructed for the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Built by Western Pipe & Steel at their San Pedro shipyard, the vessel was named after Winona Lake, Indiana. Although designed for wartime service, the end of World War II meant she did not see combat during the conflict. She was commissioned on 19 April 1946 as a patrol gunboat with the ID number WPG-65, later changing to WHEC-65, with "HEC" denoting "High Endurance Cutter" and the "W" indicating a Coast Guard vessel. Winona's early service included law enforcement, ocean station, and search and rescue operations along the U.S. West Coast. From August 1946 to September 1947, she was stationed at San Pedro, California. Subsequently, her homeport was moved to Port Angeles, Washington, where she remained until May 1974. Throughout her service, Winona participated in numerous rescue operations, towing disabled vessels such as MV Herald of Morning, MV Edgecombe, and MV Darton, and assisting vessels including FV Alice B, MV Maple Cove, and FV Western Fisherman. She also conducted patrols in the Bering Sea during the summers of 1956 and 1963. A notable aspect of her service was her deployment during the Vietnam War as part of Coast Guard Squadron Three from January to October 1968. During this period, Winona engaged in combat operations, sinking a North Vietnamese trawler on 1 March 1968, with Damage Controlman First Class Thomas Lisk aboard witnessing the hull penetration and bouncing rounds. Winona's later service involved rescue and assistance missions, including standing by MV Belmona following a fire and aiding a sinking barge near Admiralty Inlet. Her medical assistance extended to Urea Maru 300 miles off San Francisco in October 1970. The vessel was decommissioned on 31 May 1974 and laid up at Alameda until being scrapped in late 1976. Her operational history reflects her versatility and significance in Coast Guard maritime patrol, rescue, and combat operations during her two decades of service.

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