U.S.C.G. Air-Sea-Rescue Cutters (WAVR)

Most recent update: August 19, 2012.
By arrangement with the Navy, 71 Air-class cutters were delivered directly to the Coast Guard, modified for service as air-sea-rescue boats.  These were SC 497-class wooden sub chasers, 111 feet long and 135 tons displacement, mostly built by yacht yards.  As it turned out, few actually saw any service, which explains the lack of information on what happened to them.  If anyone can add to the table below, please send your info to timcolton@aol.com
SC # WAVR # Name Shipbuilder Location Delivery Disposition
453 411 Air Avocet Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 12-Aug-41 Prototype, to Haiti 1947 as 16 Aout 1946, sold 1957
499 412 Air Brandt Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 18-Mar-42 Later Lynn II
511 413 Air Cardinal American Cruiser Detroit MI 29-Jun-42 Fate unknown
512 414 Air Condor American Cruiser Detroit MI 10-Jul-42 Fate unknown
536 415 Air Cormorant Peterson BW Sturgeon Bay WI 23-Apr-42 Sold 1951 as Moonlight Maid, active?
539 416 Air Crow Peterson BW Sturgeon Bay WI 30-May-42 Sold 1948 as Linda, in Canada 1951
540 417 Air Curlew Robinson Marine Const. Benton Harbor MI 22-Apr-42 Sold 1952 as Barbara Jo, Savitar 1958, in Panama 1966
541 418 Air Drake Robinson Marine Const. Benton Harbor MI 6-May-42 Fate unknown
635 419 Air Eider Mathis Yacht Building Camden NJ 23-Oct-42 Sold 1945 as Yank, Bronx Queen 1958, sank 1989
642 420 Air Egret Peterson BW Sturgeon Bay WI 4-Aug-42 Fate unknown
653 421 Air Falcon Petersen, Julius Nyack NY 8-Jul-42 Sold 1949 as Falcon, Americana 1959
656 422 Air Finch Snow Shipyards Rockland ME 11-Aug-42 Sold 1949 as Blue Bird
659 423 Air Gannet American Cruiser Wilmington DE 7-Oct-42 Air Gannet 1959, burnt 1963
662 424 Air Goose Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 10-Jun-42 Sold 1949 as Neptune
665 425 Air Grayleg Dachel-Carter SB Benton Harbor MI 10-Aug-42 Transfer cancelled
670 426 Air Grebe Inland Waterways Duluth MN 2-Sep-42 Sold 1949 as Grebe
672 427 Air Gull Knutson SB Halesite NY 22-Jun-42 Sold 1959 as fishing vessel Ensign
682 428 Air Hawk American Cruiser Wilmington DE 9-Nov-42 Air Hawk 1959
684 429 Air Heron American Cruiser Wilmington DE 21-Nov-42 Fate unknown
710 430 Air Ibis Dooley's Basin & DD Fort Lauderdale FL 7-Nov-42 Fate unknown
711 431 Air Jay Dooley's Basin & DD Fort Lauderdale FL 2-Jan-43 North Sea 1959, later Cap'n Johnnie, deleted 1983
714 432 Air Kestrel Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 20-Nov-42 Fate unknown
715 433 Air Killdeer Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 4-Dec-42 Sold 1946 as Cape Pine, active
717 434 Air Lapwing Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 14-May-43 Sold as Lindsay C. Warren, Victory 1959
753 435 Air Linnet Robinson Marine Const. Benton Harbor MI 14-Apr-43 Halcyon II 1959
758 436 Air Loon Robinson Marine Const. Benton Harbor MI 14-Sep-43 Sold 1949 as Loon
772 437 Air Mallard Peyton Co. Newport Beach CA 15-Apr-43 Sold 1947 as Lady Goodiver, now B&B in Scapoose OR
775 438 Air Martin Peyton Co. Newport Beach CA 30-Jul-43 Milmar 1959
985 439 Air Merlin John E. Matton Cohoes NY 19-Dec-42 Miss Morehead 1959, abandoned 1964
987 440 Air Oriole John E. Matton Cohoes NY 7-Jun-43 Later fishing vessel Empress, Lillian B 1959, CTL 1976
988 441 Air Owl John E. Matton Cohoes NY 14-Jul-43 Fate unknown
989 442 Air Parakeet John E. Matton Cohoes NY 2-Aug-43 Sold 1949 as Milbon
996 443 Air Parrot Island Dock Kingston NY 6-Nov-42 Fate unknown
1003 444 Air Partridge Fellows & Stewart Wilmington CA 24-Dec-42 Sold 1949 as Mickey Lee
1004 445 Air Peacock Fellows & Stewart Wilmington CA 21-Jan-43 Sold 1949 as San Juanderer
1009 446 Air Pelican Fellows & Stewart Wilmington CA 25-Jun-43 Pelican 1959
1010 447 Air Penguin Fellows & Stewart Wilmington CA 15-Jul-43 Fate unknown
1013 448 Air Petrel Luders Marine Stamford CT 21-Sep-42 Sold 1947 as Mount Independence, sank 2005
1015 449 Air Pheasant Luders Marine Stamford CT 20-Oct-42 Sold 1948 to Morton Salt as a mail boat in the Bahamas, active as Air Pheasant until scuttled in 1982
1016 450 Air Phoebe Luders Marine Stamford CT 15-Dec-42 Fate unknown
1017 451 Air Pigeon Luders Marine Stamford CT 29-Dec-42 Fate unknown
1022 452 Air Piper Luders Marine Stamford CT 9-Jun-43 Sold 1949 as Evelyn L. Willis
1023 453 Air Plover Mathis Yacht Building Camden NJ 18-Dec-42 Fate unknown
1027 454 Air Puffin Mathis Yacht Building Camden NJ 2-Feb-43 Fate unknown
1028 455 Air Quail Mathis Yacht Building Camden NJ 27-Mar-43 Air Quail 1959, Cajun Queen, deleted 1991
1032 456 Air Raven Peterson BW Sturgeon Bay WI 18-Feb-43 Sold 1949 as Sheila, wrecked 1963
1033 457 Air Redwing Peterson BW Sturgeon Bay WI 5-Apr-43 Sold 1950 as Hunter, wrecked 1962
1037 458 Air Robin Peterson BW Sturgeon Bay WI 7-Jul-43 Sold 1947 as Robin, Emerald Pacific 1977
1038 459 Air Rook Peterson BW Sturgeon Bay WI 16-Jul-43 Sold 1948 as Rande A
1054 460 Air Ruff Wilmington BW Wilmington CA 6-Apr-43 Sold 1949 as Ida-M
1055 461 Air Sheldrake Wilmington BW Wilmington CA 10-May-43 DeEtta 1959
1062 462 Air Shrike Harris & Parsons East Greenwich RI 27-Feb-43 Sold 1949 as Mary Jane
1063 463 Air Skimmer Victory SB Holland MI 13-Feb-43 Perry L 1959
1064 464 Air Skylark Victory SB Holland MI 4-May-43 To Haiti 1947 as Toussaint L'Ouverture (GC 3), sold 1959
1068 465 Air Snipe Mathis Yacht Building Camden NJ 13-Apr-43 Sold 1948 as Air Snipe
1069 466 Air Sparrow Mathis Yacht Building Camden NJ 26-Apr-43 Get Along 1959
1070 467 Air Starling Mathis Yacht Building Camden NJ 24-May-43 Sold 1949 as Reefer Clipper, Coastal Researcher I
1296 468 Air Stork W. A. Robinson Ipswich MA 16-Sep-43 George R. Wallace 1959
1297 469 Air Swallow W. A. Robinson Ipswich MA 8-Oct-43 Sold 1948
1307 470 Air swan Daytona Beach BW Daytona Beach FL 2-Oct-43 Tejena III 1959
1329 471 Air swift Simms Bros. Dorchester MA 8-May-43 Sold 1947 as Elmar, samk 1979
1347 472 Air Tanager Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 3-Sep-43 Tanager 1950
1348 473 Air Teal Fisher Boatworks Detroit MI 1-Oct-43 To Haiti 1947 as Amiral Killick (GC 4), discarded 1954
1355 474 Air Tern Luders Marine Stamford CT 10-Jul-43 Sold 1949 as Chief, Mount Independence 1981, deleted 2008
1356 475 Air Thrush Luders Marine Stamford CT 18-Aug-43 Sold 1949 as Marge
1357 476 Air Toucan Luders Marine Stamford CT 31-Aug-43 Sold 1949 as Claire Ellin, J. D. Harrington 1959
1362 477 Air Warbler Peyton Co. Newport Beach CA 6-Sep-43 Warbler 1959
1367 478 Air Waxwing Wilmington BW Wilmington CA 10-Sep-43 Fate unknown
1369 479 Air Willet Wilmington BW Wilmington CA 12-Nov-43 Gleaner 1959
1373 480 Air Wren Fellows & Stewart Wilmington CA 1-Nov-43 Fate unknown
1339 481 Air Scaup Knutson SB Halesite NY 8-Nov-43 Sold 1949 as Houston Pilot No. 3
1340 482 Air Scoter Knutson SB Halesite NY 4-Dec-43 Sold 1949 as Elmar, sank 1979