Higgins Boat and Crew of the USS SERPENS AK-97

The USS SERPENS AK-97 was a United States Coast Guard manned World War II cargo [Liberty] ship. Late in the evening on January 29, 1945 the Serpens was anchored off Lunga Beach, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands loading depth charges. While the Commanding Officer and enlisted men were ashore, the Serpens suddenly exploded. 193 Coast Guard crewmen, 56 Army stevedores, and Dr. Levin, a Public Health Service physician were killed in the explosion. The force of the explosion was so great that it killed a U.S. Army soldier who was ashore. Only two sailors aboard survived the incident. The cause of the explosion was never completely determined. The loss of the USS SERPENS AK-97 was the largest single disaster ever suffered by the United States Coast Guard.

"We cannot undo the past,... but we can insure... that these men shall be respected and honored forever."

The entire story of the sinking of the USS Serpens AK 97