The Coast Guard At War

Transports and Escorts

Historical Section, Public Information Division
U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters
May 1, 1949

CGC Ilex (WAGL-222)

Ilex was built at Fabricated Shipbuilding Corp., Milwaukee, Wisc. as Army mine planter General Edmund Kirby; commissioned 1919. In 1924 the ship was transferred to the US Light House Service and converted to a lighthouse tender.

From 1941 thru 1945, Ilex was assigned to the 1st Naval District and stationed at South Portland, Maine. She was used for A/N duty and to service submarine nets. On 5 March 1943, Ilex rescued 35 men from the grounded freighter Hartwelson.

Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey