The United States Coast Guard Cutter Mesquite was a 180-foot vessel built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. The keel laying took place on August 20, 1942 and the vessel was launched on November 14, 1942.

The Mesquite served until December 4, 1989, when it was grounded on a reef in Lake Superior, just offshore from Keweenaw Point in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. The crew tried for several hours to free the vessel, but eventually they abandoned ship. The Coast Guard initially intended to salvage the ship in the spring of 1990, but after the ship attained further damage in harsh winter weather, it was determined that the Mesquite could not be saved. On July 14, 1990 the Mesquite was deliberately sunk just off from the reef where it was grounded. The ship is currently a main attraction for scuba divers visiting the Keweenaw Underwater Preserve, an underwater preservation area that protects the waters that lie offshore Keweenaw County in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.