[5] Bollinger shipyards delivered her to the United States Coast Guard, in Key West, Florida, on December 23, 2015.

A separate Coast Guard investigation found that the Desakata should have yielded the right of way to the Winslow Griesser, but that the cutter's crew could have prevented the incident if they had maintained a better lookout.

[8][9] Like all the vessels in her class, Winslow Griesser is named after an individual from the Coast Guard's past who has been recognized as a hero.

[10][11] Winslow W. Griesser was the keeper of the United States Lifesaving Service's Buffalo Station, in 1900.

[13] Nevertheless, Griesser and a companion tried to swim out, with a tow rope, to rescue survivors who were clinging tenuously to a pile.