process." The loss of Serpens remains the largest single disaster ever suffered by the Coast Guard. The dead were initially buried at the Army, Navy and Marine Corps Cemetery at Guadalcanal. Their remains were later exhumed and taken to Arlington National Cemetery where they were interred on 15 June 1949. A large monument in their honor was erected over the grave site and dedicated on 16 November 1950. As of 2019, there is an active effort to reexamine the sinking to see if it was caused by a Japanese submarine. The wreck is located at: Awards Serpens earned one battle star for her World War II service. See also West Loch disaster USS Mount Hood (AE-11) Port Chicago disaster List of accidents and incidents involving transport or storage of ammunition Notes Citations Bibliography Online resources Further reading The Long Blue Line Disrupted: USS Serpens (AK-97) and the Largest Loss of Life in US Coast Guard History (co-authors Douglas E. Campbell and Robert G. Breen); ISBN 978-0-359-87305-0 External links USS Serpens Photo Gallery Roll of Honor Crater-class cargo ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Ships sunk by non-combat internal explosions Shipwrecks in Ironbottom Sound World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Ships built in Los Angeles 1943 ships Maritime incidents in January 1945