BEAR (SHIP)

The Bear was built in 1874 as a sealer at Dundee, Scotland shipyards. It was heavy built with six inch (15.2 cm) thick sides
In 1884, she was sold to the U.S. government and took part in the search for the Greely Expedition, whose seven survivors were found at Cape Sabine.

Contents

US Revenue Cutter Service

The Bear of Oakland

World War II and after

Sinking

US Revenue Cutter Service

From 1885 to 1926, Bear served as a U.S. Revenue Cutter Service cutter stationed in Alaska, where she looked out for seal poachers, shipwrecked whalers, and illicit trade with Alaska Natives, ferried reindeer from Siberia to Alaska, and served as a floating courthouse. By order of the Department of the Treasury the Bear was giving free run to arrest and seize possessions of poachers, smugglers and illegal traders, as well as take census of people and ships, record geological/astronomical information, take note of tides, and escort whaling ships. Captain of the Bear during this time period Michael "Hell Roaring Mike" Healy was considered a savior to many of the whalers and native Eskimos bought Siberian reindeer at his own expense for the starving natives to transplant a new heard in Alaska. On its usual yearly trips back to San Fransisco in the summer the Bear assisted in the rescue operations during the 1906 earthquake catastrophe.
The Revenue Cutter Service became part of the US Coast Guard in 1915 and the ship was named the "USCGC Bear".

The Bear of Oakland

Laid up at Oakland in 1926 and transferred to the city for use as a museum ship, ''Bear'' starred as the sealer ''Macedonia'' in the 1930 film version of Jack London's ''The Sea-Wolf''.
The "Bear of Oakland" was used in the second Byrd Expedition alongside the USMS North Star. After the expedition Admiral Byrd leased the large barkentine style ship to the Navy for one dollar a year.
In the 1939-1940 antarctic voyage the renamed USS Bear carried the Barkley-Grow seaplane on board. Lieutenant Commander Richard H. Cruzen was captain of the Bear for this mission.
The USS Bear assisted in the 1941 evacuation of Antarctica due to Americas entrance into World War II. It arrived at Mikkelsen Island just north of the arctic circle on March 16, 1941 and its crew helped to build an adequate airstrip to evacuate personnel and equipment from the base in the area.

World War II and after

From 1941 to 1944, ''USS Bear'' served in the Northeast Atlantic "Greenland" Patrol. The rigging was cut down to two masts and became a fully motorized ship. It made the first capture of a vessel by the US in World War II when it found the German ship "Busko" setting up a U-Boat Radio way point. When up-to-date ships were available to replace her the USS Bear was laid up in Boston till the end of the war.
Purchased for the sealing trade in 1948 by Frank M. Shaw of Montreal for $5199.00 and renamed The Arctic Bear, her refit proved too costly and she was laid up in Halifax and abandoned in the mud banks.

Sinking

In 1963, while in tow to Philadelphia for use as a floating restaurant, she foundered about 250 miles (400 kilometers) east of New York at 42°40N, 65°11W. She went down early in the morning of March 19, 1963, 250 miles east of Boston after a gale struck and severed the tow line. The mast collapsed and punctured the hull causing the fateful sinking.