The USS Monomoy (AG-40) was a cargo ship built in 1918 by Globe Shipbuilding Co. in Duluth, Minnesota. Originally named J. Floyd Massey, Jr., she was acquired by the U.S. Navy on September 15, 1941, from the Steel Products Transportation Company in Buffalo, New York. The ship was renamed Monomoy on October 15, 1941, and commissioned into service on December 24, 1941. During World War II, Monomoy was crewed by the U.S. Coast Guard and served primarily in the North Atlantic as part of the Weather Patrol, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Her operational base was in Boston, Massachusetts, from where she periodically sailed to weather stations to provide critical meteorological data. These weather reports were vital for the safety of merchant convoys, naval warships, and aircraft traveling between North America, the United Kingdom, Murmansk, and other destinations. Equipped with defensive armament, including a 4-inch gun and depth charges, Monomoy operated in perilous waters frequently patrolled for enemy submarines. Notably, on July 24, 1942, she engaged a U-boat after spotting its wake and periscope. The ship fired four shots from her main gun, with the second hitting the U-boat and causing a fire, after which she dropped depth charges in an attempt to destroy the submarine. No survivors from the U-boat were observed. Monomoy continued her patrols across the North Atlantic, North Sea, and Bay of Biscay for approximately 15 months, often facing rough seas that required two men to control her wheel. On October 22, 1943, Monomoy was transferred to the Coast Guard and redesignated WAG-275, serving through the remainder of the war. She was officially stricken from the Naval Register on October 30, 1943, and later transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission. The vessel was ultimately scrapped in 1951, ending her service as a vital component of Allied maritime operations during 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.