USCGC Sagebrush (WLB-399)
Encyclopedia
The USCGC Sagebrush was a 180 feet (55 m) seagoing buoy tender
. An Iris class vessel, she was built by Zenith Dredge Corporation. On 15 July 1943 the keel was laid; she was launched on 30 September 1943 and commissioned on 1 April 1944. She was decommissioned
on 26 April 1988 and scuttled on 28 April 1988.
Sagebrush was built at a shipyard in the Great Lakes
during World War II. The original cost for the hull and machinery was $925,134. From March to April 1944 she acted as an icebreaker
on the Great Lakes. She spent the rest of her service life home ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico
, from which she maintained floating and fixed aids-to-navigation
(A-to-N) in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and surrounding waters.
In addition to her main duties of A-to-N, she performed law enforcement, Search-and-Rescue (SAR), drug and illegal alien interdiction patrols, and provided logistical services in her area of operations. She also made occasional "show the flag" visits to various independent and colonial islands around the Leeward Islands
to foster international familiarity and cooperation in the region.
She participated in the unsuccessful search for the body of Roberto Clemente
after the aircraft on which he was flying crashed into the sea north of Puerto Rico. In 1974, her crew, under then Captain, Lcdr. Lindon Onstad, also conducted the successful rescue of 4 persons from an overturned cabin cruiser in the surf on the rocky north coast just west of the entrance to San Juan Harbor. Several members of the crew received personal commendations for that action.
The ship underwent a 3 month Service Life Extension & Rehabilitation yard maintenance program at the United States Coast Guard Yard
, Curtis Bay, MD, in the spring of 1973. She then returned to San Juan and worked out her service career there. She was run aground in the Mona Passage
, a narrow strait of water with numerous corral outcroppings located between Puerto Rico and Haiti
sometime between 1975 and 1979. In April of 1988, she was decommissioned, then salvaged by a group who intended to use her as part of a man-made reef off the Georgia coast between St. Simons Island
and Savannah
. She was scuttled off of St. Catherines Island
, Georgia
on 28 April 1988.
USCG Seagoing Buoy Tender
The Seagoing Buoy Tender is a type of U.S. Coast Guard cutter originally designed to service aids to navigation, throughout the waters of the United States, and wherever U.S. shipping interests require. The Coast Guard has maintained a fleet of seagoing buoy tenders dating back to its origins in...
. An Iris class vessel, she was built by Zenith Dredge Corporation. On 15 July 1943 the keel was laid; she was launched on 30 September 1943 and commissioned on 1 April 1944. She was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 26 April 1988 and scuttled on 28 April 1988.
Sagebrush was built at a shipyard in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
during World War II. The original cost for the hull and machinery was $925,134. From March to April 1944 she acted as an icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
on the Great Lakes. She spent the rest of her service life home ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, from which she maintained floating and fixed aids-to-navigation
Navigational aid
A navigational aid is any sort of marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel...
(A-to-N) in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and surrounding waters.
In addition to her main duties of A-to-N, she performed law enforcement, Search-and-Rescue (SAR), drug and illegal alien interdiction patrols, and provided logistical services in her area of operations. She also made occasional "show the flag" visits to various independent and colonial islands around the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
to foster international familiarity and cooperation in the region.
She participated in the unsuccessful search for the body of Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
after the aircraft on which he was flying crashed into the sea north of Puerto Rico. In 1974, her crew, under then Captain, Lcdr. Lindon Onstad, also conducted the successful rescue of 4 persons from an overturned cabin cruiser in the surf on the rocky north coast just west of the entrance to San Juan Harbor. Several members of the crew received personal commendations for that action.
The ship underwent a 3 month Service Life Extension & Rehabilitation yard maintenance program at the United States Coast Guard Yard
United States Coast Guard Yard
The United States Coast Guard Yard or just Coast Guard Yard is a United States Coast Guard operated shipyard located on Curtis Bay in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore city limits. It is the coast guard's sole shipbuilding and major repair facility, and part of the...
, Curtis Bay, MD, in the spring of 1973. She then returned to San Juan and worked out her service career there. She was run aground in the Mona Passage
Mona Passage
The Mona Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The Mona Passage connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and is an important shipping route between the Atlantic and the Panama Canal....
, a narrow strait of water with numerous corral outcroppings located between Puerto Rico and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
sometime between 1975 and 1979. In April of 1988, she was decommissioned, then salvaged by a group who intended to use her as part of a man-made reef off the Georgia coast between St. Simons Island
St. Simons, Georgia
St. Simons is a census-designated place located on St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia, United States. Both the community and the island are commonly considered to be one location, known simply as "St. Simons Island", or locally as "The Island". St...
and Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. She was scuttled off of St. Catherines Island
St. Catherines Island
St. Catherines Island, also known as Santa Catalina, is one of the Sea Islands or Golden Isles on the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia, 50 miles south of Savannah in Liberty County. The island is ten miles long and from one to three miles wide, located between St. Catherine's Sound and Sapelo...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
on 28 April 1988.