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175-Foot Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM)
Keeper Class
Number in service Coast Guard-wide: 14
Number Planned for Class: 14
Length: 175 feet
Beam: 36 feet
Draft: 7.9 feet
Displacement: 845 tons
Buoy Deck Area: 1,335 square feet
Power plant: Two Cat 3508 TA, 1710 BHP@1600 RPM diesel engines
Maximum Range: 2,000 miles
Maximum Speed: 12 knots
Primary Missions: Aids to Navigation, Law Enforcement,
Ice Operations, Search & Rescue, Marine Environmental Protection
Typical Crew: 18 Personnel (1 Officers, 17 Enlisted)
The new 175-foot Keeper Class Coastal Buoy Tenders, represent the new wave in buoy tending. The first of 14 in the class, they are the first Coast Guard cutters equipped with Z-Drive propulsion units instead of the standard propeller and rudder configuration. They are designed to independently rotate 360 degrees. Combined with a thruster in the bow, they give the Keeper -class cutters unmatched maneuverability.
With state-of-the-art electronics and navigation systems including Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) which uses a Differential Global Positioning System, and electronic chart displays - these buoy tenders maneuver and position aids more accurately and efficiently with fewer crew. Other improvements have allowed the Coast Guard to decrease its crew from 24-34 on current vessels of similar type to 18 on the Keeper Class.
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-a/awl/bclass/wlm/keeperclass.htm
Click on the buoy tender to learn more about these dedicated Coast Guard women:
USCGC Ida Lewis (WLM-551)
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-a/awl/bclass/wlm/IdawalleyZoradaLewis.htm
Newport, Rhode Island
Phone: (401) 841-6948
USCGC Katherine Walker (WLM-552)
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-a/awl/bclass/wlm/KatherineWalker.htm
Bayonne, New Jersey
Phone: (201) 823-5311
USCGC Abbie Burgess (WLM-553)
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-a/awl/bclass/wlm/AbbieBurgessGrant.htm
Rockland, Maine
Phone: (207) 594-2663
USCGC Barbara Mabrity (WLM-559)
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-a/awl/bclass/wlm/barbaramabrity.htm
Mobile, Alabama
Telephone: (334) 441-6275
USCGC Maria Bray (WLM-562)
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-a/awl/bclass/wlm/braybio.htm
Mayport, Florida
Telephone: (904) 247-7336
Click here for a slide show of the Keeper Class cutter. This tour will take about 12 minutes to complete. Each photograph is timed for 20 seconds to allow for slow modem speeds. You can exit the slide show by clicking on "Exit" under each photograph.
Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF)