The United States Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba was based in Grand Haven from 1932 to 1942 and carried out many Great Lakes rescue and ice-breaking missions. The vessel later left for service in World War II and was torpedoed in the North Atlantic on June 13, 1943, with 101 crewmembers lost and 2 surviving. Grand Haven responded to the loss by raising over $1,000,000 in war bonds for a replacement cutter, and the Escanaba's original wooden mast stands in Escanaba Memorial Park, where Coast Guard Festival ceremonies honor the vessel's service and lost crewmen.