USS SERPENS (AK-97) (January 29, 1945)
A 14,250 ton US Liberty ship launched on April 5, 1943 and transferred to the Navy on the 19th. After serving seventeen months in the Pacific region, the holds of the Serpens were converted for the storage of ammunition. While loading depth charges at her berth in Lunga Roads, Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, the
Serpens blew up with such force that only the bow of the ship remained afloat. The US Coast Guard manned vessel took 196 crewmen men to their deaths. Also on board were 57 men of an army stevedore unit. All died. Only 2 men survived the explosion which has never been officially explained. The ships captain and 7 others were ashore at the time of the disaster. This was the greatest loss suffered by the US Coast Guard during the war. In all, the US Coast Guard manned a total of 351 naval vessels in the course of WWII.
The Serpens Commemorative Website is...
http://www.uss-serpens.org