Operational History, 1915-1941
Tallapoosa was assigned to her first homeport at Mobile, Alabama on 17 August 1915. During this period she made search and rescue patrols between Port Eads, Louisiana and Tampa, Florida. On 18 November 1915 she transported the National Currency Association of Alabama on a tour and inspection of the harbor of Mobile.
On 19 January 1916 she participated in the celebration of the completion of the Gulf, Florida and Alabama Railroad held at Pensacola, Florida. On 6–7 March 1916 and on 19–20 February 1917, she participated in the Mardi Gras celebration at Mobile, Alabama.
From 6 April 1917 until 28 August 1919, the Coast Guard was temporarily under the Navy Department. During this period Tallapoosa was sent on temporary special duty to Halifax, Nova Scotia to participate in search and rescue work in the icy waters. At one time the cutter was nearly destroyed while rescuing a group of stranded fishermen at Jobs Room, a small village in Forteau Harbor, Labrador. After breaking through the ice to the village and giving food and medical supplies to the natives and picking up the fishermen, she was caught in a snow storm in the sub zero weather and almost crushed by ice before she could return to Halifax.
On 4 March 1920 she resumed her patrols and was back at her old home port of Mobile. On 11 October 1920, she was assigned to the Gulf Division. On 3 August 1921 Tallapoosa arrived at Norfolk, Virginia towing sub chasers, on the 29th she arrived at Tampa towing the Arrow from Key West. On 3 December 1922, she returned to Key West from a cruise to Sanibel, Florida. On 10 December her cruising district was again established as that portion of the coast bordering on the Gulf of Mexico and extending from Port Eads to Tampa, with headquarters still at Mobile, Alabama. On 30 January 1924, she participated in the Gasparilla Carnival at Tampa and on 23 February 1925, she also participated in the Mardi Gras celebration at Mobile.
On 2 January 1929, her permanent station was changed to Key West. From 9 November 1929 to 10 December 1930, she underwent extensive repairs and alterations at the Depot. Then she departed for her new home port at Juneau, Alaska arriving there on 6 February 1931. She departed Juneau on 13 April for Dixon's Entrance on Bering Sea Duty. The next few years were spent on Bering Sea Duty, Bering Sea Patrols and Seal Patrols in Alaskan waters, with occasional trips to Seattle, Washington for drydocking.
She departed Seattle for hew new permanent station at Savannah, Georgia on 7 August 1937 and arrived at Savannah on 24 October. She spent the winter of 1939-1940 cruising on search and rescue missions in the Jacksonville District. From 24 October 1940 to 24 November 1940, she was being rearmed at the plant of Todd Shipyard Inc., at Algiers, Louisiana. She was rearmed, repaired, and altered at the plant of Merrill-Stevens Company late in 1942.
Read more about this topic: USCGC Tallapoosa (WPG-52)