The USS Biscayne (AVP-11), later reclassified as AGC-18, was a United States Navy Barnegat-class seaplane tender built for World War II service. Laid down on October 27, 1939, at Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, she was launched on May 23, 1941, and commissioned on July 3, 1941. She measured approximately 319 feet in length, with a beam of about 48 feet, and was powered by diesel engines, reflecting the reliability and seaworthiness characteristic of Barnegat-class vessels. Initially, Biscayne operated with the Atlantic Fleet from December 1941, conducting patrols and plane guard missions out of Boston, Massachusetts. She subsequently served as a seaplane tender and communications vessel in Newfoundland and Greenland waters. In late 1942, she moved to the European theater, supporting patrol squadrons from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Casablanca, French Morocco. She became the flagship of Rear Admiral Richard Lansing Conolly at Mers-el-Kébir, Algeria, in April 1943, during which she was prepared as an amphibious force flagship. Biscayne played a vital role in several major Allied operations: she supported the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) in July 1943, served as flagship during the Salerno landings (Operation Avalanche) in September 1943, and participated in the Anzio invasion (Operation Shingle) in early 1944. In May 1944, she was reclassified as AGC-18, a miscellaneous flagship. Her service in the Mediterranean included supporting amphibious landings and acting as a command ship. In 1945, Biscayne transferred to the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor in January and serving as flagship during the invasions of Iwo Jima, Kerama Retto, and Okinawa. She supported occupation duties in the Philippines until the end of hostilities, earning six battle stars for her wartime service. Postwar, she was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for her actions against enemy forces. After decommissioning in June 1946, Biscayne was transferred to the Coast Guard, where she was renamed USCGC Dexter (WAGC-385). Modified for weather patrol and search-and-rescue operations, she served notably on ocean stations along the North Atlantic, providing meteorological data, search and rescue, and law enforcement duties until her decommissioning in 1968. She was then transferred back to the Navy and sunk as a target later that year. Biscayne’s versatile service record underscores her importance as a reliable, multi-role vessel during and after World War II.

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