The
Seagoing Buoy Tender is a type of
U.S. Coast Guard cutterCutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...
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 the U.S. Light House Service. These ships originally were designated with the
hull classification symbolThe United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use hull classification symbols to identify their ship types and each individual ship within each type...
WAGL, but in 1965 the designation was changed to
WLB, which is still used today.
Two classes of the WLB cutters have been produced. The older class, the 180-class cutters, were 180 feet (55 m) long. Thirty-nine of these sturdy vessels were built from 1942-1944. All but one were constructed in the shipyards of
Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. The 180 fleet, many of which served for more than 50 years, all went through different mid-life modifications that essentially resulted in three different classes of ship. All of the 180s are now retired and have been replaced with the new 225 foot (69 m)
Juniper-class cutters. The last 180-foot cutter, the
USCGC AcaciaThe USCGC Acacia was second to the last of a fleet of 39 similar 180-foot seagoing buoy tenders completed during World War II. The Acacia was named after the United States Lighthouse Service ship Acacia, the only Lighthouse Service vessel sunk during World War II...
, was decommissioned on 7 June 2006.
The
Jonquil class of 189' buoy tenders were U.S. Army built mine planters, acquired by the Coast Guard after World War II. Built around 1942, these vessels were designed for Diesel engines but low pressure steam plants installed instead.
The new
Juniper buoy tenders are designed and operated as multi-mission platforms. While the 180s also performed other CG missions, they lacked the speed, communications, navigation and maneuverability of the new
Junipers. Today, the
Junipers conduct almost as much law enforcement as aid to navigation work; they are also outfitted to handle oil spill recovery, search and rescue, homeland security and some ice breaking operations.
Class A (Cactus)
- USCGC Balsam (WLB-62)
The USCGC Balsam is a 180 foot sea going buoy tender . A Cactus class vessel, she was built by Zenith Dredge Company in Duluth, Minnesota. Balsam's preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding...
- USCGC Cactus (WLB-270)
The USCGC Cactus is a 180 foot sea going buoy tender . A Cactus class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Cactus preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and...
- USCGC Cowslip (WLB-277)
The USCGC Cowslip is a sea going buoy tender . A Cactus class vessel, it was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Cowslips preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and...
- USCGC Woodbine (WLB-289)
- USCGC Gentian (WLB-290)
The USCGC Gentian, a Cactus Class buoy tender was built by Zenith Dredge of Duluth, Minnesota. Her keel was laid 3 October 1941, launched 23 May 1942 and commissioned 3 November 1942.-Career:...
- USCGC Laurel (WLB-291)
USCGC Laurel WAGL/WLB-291, a Cactus Class buoy tender was built by Zenith Dredge of Duluth, Minnesota. Her keel was laid 17 April 1942, launched 4 August 1942 and commissioned on 24 November 1942.-Ship's history :...
- USCGC Clover (WLB-292)
USCGC Clover WAGL/WLB/WMEC-292, a Cactus Class buoy tender was built by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding, Duluth, Minnesota. Her keel was laid 3 December 1941, and she was launched 25 April 1942. She was commissioned on 8 November 1942 in the United States Coast Guard as the United States Coast Guard...
- USCGC Evergreen (WLB-295)
The USCGC Evergreen was originally built as a sea going buoy tender . A Cactus, or A-class vessel, Evergreens preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota...
- USCGC Sorrel (WLB-296)
The USCGC Sorrel , a Cactus Class buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard, was built by Zenith Dredge of Duluth, Minnesota...
- USCGC Citrus (WLB-300)
USCGC Citrus was a Cactus -class seagoing buoy tender built in 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota, and now operated by the navy of the Dominican Republic....
- USCGC Conifer (WLB-301)
The USCGC Conifer was a 180 foot seagoing buoy tender. Conifer and her sister ships, commonly referred to as "one-eighties", served as the backbone of the Coast Guard's Aids to Navigation fleet for over 50 years before their replacement by the newer Juniper-class cutters.-Background and ship...
- USCGC Madrona (WLB-302)
-Ship's history:USCGC Madrona was a U. S. Coast Guard 180 foot seagoing buoy tender. Madrona was built by the Zenith Dredge Company of Duluth, MN at a cost of $949,144....
- USCGC Tupelo (WLB-303)
USCGC Tupelo WAGL/WLB-303, was a Cactus Class 180 foot buoy tender built by Zenith Dredge Company of Duluth, Minnesota. Her keel was laid 15 August 1942, launched 28 November 1942 and commissioned on 30 August 1943...
Class B (Mesquite)
- USCGC Ironwood (WLB-297)
- USCGC Mesquite (WLB-305)
The USCGC Mesquite was a 180 foot sea going buoy tender . A Mesquite class vessel, it was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Mesquite's preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine...
- USCGC Buttonwood (WLB-306)
- USCGC Planetree (WLB-307)
- USCGC Papaw (WLB-308)
USCGC Papaw was a sea-going buoy tender whose design is based on the pre-World War II United States Lighthouse Service Tenders. The original design was modified to provide an armored cutter capable of wartime missions in addition to her primary mission of Aids to Navigation. Papaw was built in...
- USCGC Sweetgum (WLB-309)
Class C (Iris)
- USCGC Basswood (WLB-388)
- USCGC Bittersweet (WLB-389)
USCGC Bittersweet was a C or Iris-class 180-foot buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard.Built by the Zenith Dredge Company of Duluth, Minnesota, the ship was laid down on 16 September 1943, and launched on 11 November 1943. Commissioned on 11 May 1944, Bittersweet was assigned to the 17th...
- USCGC Blackhaw (WLB-390)
- USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391)
The USCGC Blackthorn was a sea going buoy tender which sank in 1980 in a tragic collision near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge of Tampa Bay, resulting in 23 crew member fatalities....
- USCGC Bramble (WLB-392)
USCGC Bramble is one of the 39 original seagoing buoy tenders built between 1942-1944 for the United States Coast Guard. Bramble is currently a museum ship, part of Port Huron Museum, located in Port Huron, Michigan. She will be closed to the public effective August 14, 2011, owing to a lack of...
- USCGC Firebush (WLB-393)
- USCGC Hornbeam (WLB-394)
- USCGC Iris (WLB-395)
- USCGC Mallow (WLB-396)
- USCGC Mariposa (WLB-397)
- USCGC Redbud (WLB-398)
The USCGC Redbud was one of 20 "C" class buoy tenders that entered service during World War II. She was assigned to the 7th Naval District and was based out of Miami, Florida, where she serviced aids to navigation. She was loaned to the U.S. Navy on 18 March 1949 and was redesignated as AKL-398...
- USCGC Sagebrush (WLB-399)
The USCGC Sagebrush was a 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...
- USCGC Salvia (WLB-400)
- USCGC Sassafras (WLB-401)
The Sassafras is a C-Class, 180 ft, seagoing buoy tender constructed for the USCG by Marine Iron & Shipbuilding Corp. of Duluth, Minnesota. The Sass was one of 39 tenders commissioned for duties that would include aids-to-navigation, ice breaking, search-and-rescue, fire fighting, law enforcement,...
- USCGC Sedge (WLB-402)
- USCGC Spar (WLB-403)
The USCGC Spar was a sea going buoy tender. An Iris class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Spar's preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding...
- USCGC Sundew (WLB-404)
The USCGC Sundew is a sea going buoy tender . An Iris, or C-class vessel, it was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Sundews preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and...
- USCGC Sweetbrier (WLB-405)
- USCGC Acacia (WLB-406)
The USCGC Acacia was second to the last of a fleet of 39 similar 180-foot seagoing buoy tenders completed during World War II. The Acacia was named after the United States Lighthouse Service ship Acacia, the only Lighthouse Service vessel sunk during World War II...
- USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407)
USCGC Woodrush was a buoy tender that performed general aids-to-navigation , search and rescue , and icebreaking duties for the United States Coast Guard from 1944 to 2001 from home ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Sitka, Alaska...
225' - Juniper Class Ships
The
Juniper class uses
Dynamic PositioningDynamic positioning is a computer controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters...
which allows maintenance of the vessel's position within a 10 meter circle in winds of up to 30 knots (56 km/h) and waves of up to 8 feet (2.4 m).
- USCGC Juniper (WLB-201)
USCGC Juniper is the lead ship of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Seagoing Buoy Tenders. She is outfitted with some of the most advanced technological and navigational capabilities currently available.-Predecessors:...
- USCGC Willow (WLB-202)
- USCGC Kukui (WLB-203)
- USCGC Elm (WLB-204)
USCGC Elm is the fourth of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Juniper-class Seagoing Buoy Tenders. She is outfitted with advanced technological and navigational capabilities. She is also the flagship of the Coast Guard's Fifth District.- Missions :...
- USCGC Walnut (WLB-205)
- USCGC Spar (WLB-206)
The USCGC Spar is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender home-ported in Kodiak, Alaska. The ship tends buoys in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and has acquired the nickname Aleutian Keeper...
- USCGC Maple (WLB-207)
The USCGC Maple is a 225-foot United States Coast Guard Seagoing Buoy Tender. The Maple is the seventh of 16 in the Juniper class and took the place of the decommissioned USCGC Woodrush....
- USCGC Aspen (WLB-208)
- USCGC Sycamore (WLB-209)
The USCGC Sycamore is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender based out of Cordova, Alaska. The Sycamore was built by Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. She was commissioned in Cordova on July 2, 2002 replacing the 180 foot C-Class buoy tender Sweetbrier, which had been stationed...
- USCGC Cypress (WLB-210)
- USCGC Oak (WLB-211)
The USCGC Oak is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender home-ported in Charleston, South Carolina. The ship tends buoys along the Southeastern U.S. coast and throughout the Caribbean Sea including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Haiti and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba...
- USCGC Hickory (WLB-212)
The USCGC Hickory is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender home-ported in Homer, Alaska. The Hickory serves multiple missions, including aids to navigation, search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection and homeland security...
- USCGC Fir (WLB-213)
USCGC Fir is a Juniper-class United States Coast Guard Cutter. Fir is under the Operational Control of the Commander, Thirteenth Coast Guard District and is homeported in Astoria, Oregon. Fir's primary area of responsibility is the coastal waters, river bars and high seas of the Washington and...
- USCGC Hollyhock (WLB-214)
USCGC Hollyhock is a Juniper-class, seagoing buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard.Hollyhock was built by Marinette Marine Corporation and launched on January 25, 2003. The Hollyhock is currently assigned to Port Huron, Michigan as its home port...
- USCGC Sequoia (WLB-215)
USCGC SEQUOIA is an active duty United States Coast Guard buoy tender, homeported in Guam. The primary missions of the ship are to maintain aids to navigation, protect the marine environment, participate in search and rescue, and maintain homeland security...
- USCGC Alder (WLB-216)
USCGC Alder is a Juniper-class, seagoing buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard.Alder was built by Marinette Marine Corporation and launched on February 7, 2004. Alders maiden voyage was on September 12, 2004. The Alder is currently assigned to Duluth, Minnesota as its home port...
External links