Buttonwood, 1942
WLB-306
/ WAGL-306
Nicknames:
"The Wad"; "The Mighty B"
Call
Sign: NRPX
Builder: Marine and Iron Shipbuilding
Corporation, Duluth, MN
Builder's Number: (bn CG-139)
Cost: $888,018
Length: 180' oa; 170' bp
Beam: 37' 1" mb
Draft: 12' max (1945); 14'
7" max (1966)
Displacement: 935 fl (1945); 1,026 fl
(1966), 700 light (1966)
Keel Laid: 5 October 1942
Launched: 30 November 1942
Commissioned: 24 September 1943
Re-Commissioned (after SLEP): 26 February
1993
Decommissioned: 28 June 2001
Status: Transferred to the Dominican
Republic on 28 June 2001
Propulsion: 1 electric motor
connected to 2 Westinghouse generators driven by 2 Cooper-Bessemer-type
GND-8, 4-cycle diesels; single screw
Top speed: 13.0 kts sustained (1945);
11.9 kts sustained (1966)
Economic speed: 8.3 kts (1945); 8.5
kts (1966)
Complement: 6 officers, 74 enlisted
(1945); 3 officers, 2 warrants, 42 enlisted (1962)
Electronics:
Radar: SL-2
(1945); SPS-23 (1966)
Sonar: WEA-2 (1945);
UNQ-1 (1966)
Armament: 1-3"/50 (single),
2-20mm/80 (single), 2 depth charge tracks, 2 Mousetraps, 4 Y-guns (1945);
None (1966)
Class History:
When the US Coast
Guard absorbed the Bureau of Lighthouses on 1 July 1939, Juniper,
a 177-foot all welded steel buoy tender, was under construction and
plans for a successor were on the drawing board. Plans initiated by the
Bureau of Lighthouses called for the construction of several identical
buoy tenders to replace existing coastal buoy tenders. The preliminary
designs generated by the Bureau were for a vessel similar to Juniper.
When the Aids to Navigation (ATON) system transferred to Coast Guard
control, USCG planners reviewed the preliminary plans for the new class
of buoy tenders and modified them to meet the service’s multi-mission
role. To be an effective part of the Coast Guard, the new buoy tenders
needed to be multi-purpose platforms. They had to be capable of
conducting Search and Rescue (SAR) and Law Enforcement (LE) missions, as
well as their primary mission tending ATON. On 20 January 1941 the US
Coast Guard contracted Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Company of
Duluth
, Minnesota
to build the design based on Juniper
and modified to meet the service’s requirements. On 31 March 1941
Marine Iron and Shipbuilding laid the keel for the first vessel of the
new buoy tender class. The new vessel measured 180 feet overall and had
a beam of 37 feet at the extreme. She had a displacement of 935 tons and
drew 12 feet. The new design was similar to Juniper
in appearance but did exhibit some important differences. Gone was
the turtle back forecastle. A notched forefoot, ice-belt at the
waterline, and reinforced bow gave the vessel icebreaking capabilities.
Extending the superstructure to the ship’s sides increased interior
volume above the main deck. A single propeller, turned by an electric
motor powered by twin diesel generators, replaced the twin-screw
arrangement. The 30,000-gallon fuel capacity gave the new design a range
of 12,000 miles at a 12-knot cruising speed; at 8.3 knots the cruising
range increased to 17,000 miles. Finer lines at the bow and stern
increased the new tender’s sea keeping ability in rough weather; an
increase in draft also promoted seaworthiness. Numerous minor
alterations increased the vessel’s utility as a SAR platform while
deck-mounted guns and depth charge racks supported military duties. Marine
Iron and Shipbuilding launched the prototype vessel on 25 November 1941,
even as three more took shape. Preparations also went forward to begin a
fifth vessel. By the time they commissioned the first 180, Cactus,
on 1 September 1942 twelve vessels were under construction at the
Marine Iron shipyard and at the Zenith Dredge Company shipyard, also in
Duluth
. The initial designation for the new buoy tenders was WAGL, which was a
US Navy designation denoting an auxiliary vessel, lighthouse tender. The
designation changed from WAGL to WLB in 1965. A few of the 180s have
been designated as other types of vessels over the years; three became
WMECs (medium endurance cutters), one of those, Evergreen,
was a WAGO (oceanographic research vessel) before it became a WMEC. Gentian
was a WMEC for a time and was then designated a WIX (Training
Cutter) in 1999. Though designations have changed over time, each
vessel’s hull number has remained the same since commissioning.
DIFFERENCES WITHIN
THE 180' CLASS
Six “B” or
Mesquite
class tenders followed the initial production run of thirteen vessels in
the “A’ or Cactus-class.
The first Mesquite-class
tender hit the water on 14 November 1942. Marine Iron and Shipbuilding
built all except one of the Mesquite-class.
The USCG built the lone exception, Ironwood,
at the service’s shipyard in Curtis Bay, Maryland. Twenty Iris
or “C” class vessels followed the Mesquite-class
tenders. The first launch of an Iris
class vessel took place on 18 June 1943, and the final addition to
the class slipped off the ways on 18 May 1944.
Differences among the three classes were minimal. Their basic
dimensions, length and beam were the same and draft varied based on
loading. All were built of welded steel along the same framing pattern
and with very similar internal and external layouts. All three classes
could steam 8,000 miles at 13 knots, 12,000 miles at 12 knots, and
17,000 miles at 8.3 knots; though the “B” and “C” class vessels
had engines with 20 percent more power than the “A” class. The
“A” class vessels could carry the most fuel with a tank capacity of
30,000 gallons. The “C” class carried 29,335 gallons and the “B”
class about 700 gallons less. The layout of the Commanding Officer’s
cabin and the radio room was slightly different in the “A” class
vessels. The bridge wing door on the “B” and “C” vessels opened
to the side while the doors on the “A” vessels opened forward. The
cargo holds as originally laid out in the “C” were larger, by a
nominal amount, than those in the other vessels. To hoist buoys and
cargo, the “A” vessels carried an A-frame structure that straddled
the superstructure and supported the cargo boom. The other two classes
were fitted with power vangs that attached to the bridge wings and
manipulated the cargo boom. The “A” vessels were originally fitted
with manilla line as part of the cargo handling system while the second
and third generation vessels used wire rope. From the outside, other
than the A-frame used in the first production run, the three classes
were almost indistinguishable. Over the years their internal differences
and variation in equipment were minimized by successive overhauls and
improvements. Moreover, it does not appear that any one of the three
classes was superior to the other two in the eyes of the US Coast Guard
administration or the men who manned the buoy tender fleet. Tenders from
each of the three classes remained in use past the turn of the 21st
century. It usually took from two to four months between the time
shipyard workers laid a keel and the day the vessel slipped off the
ways. Once launched, however, the tenders were far from ready for
service. The practice was to build the superstructure, finish the
interior, and complete the machinery installation while the vessel was
floating. Hence, on launch day the tenders were little more than
finished hulls. As the shipyard workers neared the end of the building
process, the Coast Guard would begin assigning officers and men to the
vessels. Once each vessel was complete and ready to enter active
service, the US
Coast Guard commissioned her as part of the fleet. Often the
commissioning ceremonies took place after the tender had departed from
Duluth
and arrived at an initial duty station. For the 180s as a whole, it took
an average period of 308 days to go from the beginning of construction
to commissioning. Divided according to sub-class, the elapsed time from
keel laying to commissioning averaged 360 days for the Cactus-class;
323 days for the Mesquite-class;
and 269 days for the Iris-class.
The building process averaged 192,018 man-hours of labor per vessel. In
keeping with the Lighthouse Service practice of naming tenders after
foliage, all of the 180s were named after trees, shrubs, or flowers.
THE 180s GO TO WAR
Though the design was
completed before
US
entry into World War II, several of the vessels were already under
construction when the Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor
; the tenders were very much a product of the war. The number of tenders
built and the rapidity with which the shipyards turned them out is
indicative of this nation’s massive industrial output during the war
years. Before the war, no group of thirty-nine steel ships had been
produced in three years. Yet, during the period 1941-1944 the entire
production run of the class went from blueprints to completed ships
during a time when the
United States
was producing thousands of other ships at yards around the country. With
the lone exception of the tender built at the Coast Guard Yard at
Curtis
Bay
in
Baltimore
,
Maryland
, two commercial shipyards in Duluth
,
Minnesota
built all the 180s. To achieve this level of production, even as much of
the prewar workforce volunteered or was drafted for military service,
the shipyards turned to a new source of labor. The Duluth
shipyards, like industrial operations nationwide, began to recruit
women. As Duluth’s men filed off to war as soldiers, sailors, airmen,
and marines,
Duluth
’s women filed into the shipyards to become welders, machinists, and
electricians. By the end of the war
Duluth
’s “welderettes” numbered 3,500 of the 14,000 persons laboring
through the cold
Minnesota
winters to turn out ships for the war effort. The total number of
civilian shipyard workers employed by Marine Iron and Zenith Dredge
peaked at 1,200 and 1,500 respectively. Thus, the US Coast Guard 180s
are historically significant not only as the first class of modern buoy
tenders and as part of an unprecedented military build-up but also as
milestones in labor history American women helped build the 180s during
the period when women first began to enter the industrial workforce.
Even after commissioning most vessels did not immediately enter regular
service. Instead the tenders embarked on shakedown cruises to test the
various mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems. The shakedown
cruises also offered an opportunity for crew orientation and training.
It was rare that the shakedown cruise did not reveal some defective
system and most vessels returned to a shipyard to have any glitches
repaired. Occasionally the return to the shipyard meant going back to
Zenith Dredge or Marine Iron and Shipbuilding in
Duluth
. Before deployment to their duty stations, other vessels went to the
USCG yard at
Curtis
Bay
which provided an opportunity to outfit the vessels with any additional
equipment or to carry out any modifications needed at the vessels’ new
duty stations.
The work done by the
men and women of Duluth
produced finished buoy tenders, but not warships. It would be up to
military technicians to make the 180s combat-ready. Many of the buoy
tenders were destined to operate far from home in a variety of war zones
as part of a navy locked in a two-ocean war. To defend themselves
against air attack, the tenders were fitted with 20mm guns, usually four
of them, mounted high on the superstructure and on the aft portions of
the main deck. Armorers outfitted the 180s with a single 3" cannon
mounted aft of the stack to defend against aircraft and engage small
surface or shore targets. They installed depth charge racks as well as
K- and V-type launchers on the stern to deploy depth charges in case the
vessels ever encountered enemy submarines. Some 180s were also fitted
with a device known as a 'mousetrap'. This weapon system launched
rocket-propelled explosive charges that would explode on contact with
a submarine’s hull. The mousetrap system was generally mounted on the
bow so the launchers could fire ahead of the vessel. Besides the heavier
weapons systems, the tenders carried assorted small arms. Technicians
installed radar and sonar systems to help the 180s find targets or avoid
enemy units. The US Coast Guard shipyard at Curtis Bay, Maryland carried
out the bulk of the work that prepared the buoy tenders for duty
overseas.
Buoy tenders from the
180 classes operating in the Atlantic Theater saw service from the
frigid waters around Greenland to the tropical coast of
Brazil
. They tended buoys, broke ice, and provided assistance to vessels in
need. They also served as the armed escorts for merchant convoys, hunted
U-boats, and carried supplies to far-flung installations. The 180s
were not limited to coastal duty. Several vessels in the class were
dispatched thousands of miles out into the Atlantic to collect important
meteorological data that allowed military planners to schedule and route
aircraft flights to
Europe
. In the Pacific Theater the 180s covered thousands of miles of
open ocean in pursuit of their varied duties. Several vessels worked to
establish Long-Range Aids-to-Navigation (LORAN) station chains in the
South Pacific while others conducted similar operations in the
Bering Sea
. Navy commanders regularly dispatched 180s to carry supplies and
personnel between installations throughout the theatre. The lift
capacity and towing features of the tenders helped them carry out
salvage work. The 180s fought shipboard fires and rescued Allied
personnel from damaged vessels. Besides this range of duties, all the
tenders fulfilled their design function on a regular basis. They
serviced ATON along the West Coast, in the waters of the
Bering Sea
, and across the Pacific. They also set and serviced moorings and
mooring buoys for naval and merchant vessels throughout the war zone.
Their ATON work was especially important since many of the areas in
which
U.S.
forces operated were very poorly charted or uncharted altogether. The
work done by the 180s allowed thousands of Allied ships to operate along
routes and in harbors far removed from pre-war shipping lanes. The buoy
tenders never received the acclaim afforded larger warships, but their
efforts did not go unnoticed. In the words of a contemporary observer:
As
the battleships and assault troop and cargo ships do the heavy work, the
Coast Guard tenders scurry alongside, paving the broken way for the
miracle of supply which follows. They'll lay cables in the ocean bed,
fight fires and perform rescue and salvage chores. A tender may moor an
anchor for battleships or tow a Navy seaplane caught on a reef-it's all
in a day's work.
None of the 180s were
lost to enemy action during the war. Those in the Atlantic Theater
operated under the threat of German U-boats, but the few encounters saw
the cutters dropping depth charges on the suspected positions of
submerged U-boats and receiving no return fire. A German U-boat sank one
US Coast Guard buoy tender from another class, Acacia (WAGL-200),
while she operated in the
Caribbean Sea
. Acacia was one of the ex-Army mine-planters acquired by the
Lighthouse Bureau after WWI. The USCG named a "C" class 180 in
honor of the sunken vessel. Though
the 180s serving in the Pacific came under enemy air attack on many
occasions, no severe damage resulted. The 180s contributed to the screen
of anti-aircraft fire around the fleet during air raids and shot
down several enemy aircraft while contributing to the destruction of
others. One tender suffered significant damage from an explosion
attributed to a floating Japanese mine. There were no encounters
between the buoy tenders and Japanese submarines or surface units.
Weather was also a formidable adversary. Tenders operating in the
northern reaches of both oceans frequently battled ice and snow as they
went about their work. Tenders in the Atlantic Theatre were subjected to
dangerously high winds and waves during storms, especially during winter
storms on the
North Atlantic. They also had to dodge hurricanes sweeping up from the
tropics during the summer and fall months. The Pacific 180s, besides
normal ocean storms, were subjected to the fury of powerful typhoons
that regularly sank large ships. Heat was a problem in both theatres
and, while never a grave threat to the vessels; it made life unpleasant
for crews operating near the equator in the days before air
conditioning. The 180s survived enemy action and the dangers of
operating in the maritime environment in any weather. Every vessel
survived the conflict and the class provided valuable service in the war
effort. Their endeavors made possible the safe navigation of thousands
of warships and merchantmen as the Allied powers dispatched convoys,
battle groups, and invasion fleets to the far reaches of the Pacific and
set up a floating conveyor belt carrying millions of tons of war
materiel across the
Atlantic
.
PEACETIME MISSIONS
While a few vessels
were left overseas to repair and improve ATON systems in the various
Pacific island groups, most of the 180s returned to the United States
where their wartime crews returned to civilian life. The drop in
military manning levels, however, was so precipitous that the US Coast
Guard had to decommission several 180s temporarily, simply because there
were no crews available. Like their crews returning to civilian life,
the buoy tenders themselves underwent a radical change in appearance.
Black hulls and gleaming white topsides replaced the haze gray and
oceanic camouflage schemes that helped to hide the tenders from enemy
eyes during the war years. Shipyard workers stripped depth charge racks
and mousetrap launchers from the vessels. Cutters re-assigned to the
Great Lakes
had their 3" and 20mm guns removed. Those remaining overseas or
assigned to coastal districts kept some of their armaments, but the guns
spent most of their time concealed beneath canvas covers. With the
war’s end service on the buoy tenders was more mundane. Instead of
operating as part of vast naval fleets and anchoring in the company of
battleships, the 180s went about their prescribed missions alone. For
the most part they spent their time tending buoys and other ATON. This
was an especially important part of returning American maritime commerce
to a peacetime footing as some ATON were neglected during the war while
others were purposely disestablished to prevent their use by enemy
forces. Similarly, many ATON established during the war required
removal, as they were non-essential to normal maritime commerce. Most
buoy tenders returning stateside quickly joined their domestic
counterparts in an unending routine of hauling buoys, carrying out
maintenance on various ATON, and delivering supplies to out of the way
navigational installations.
TENDING BUOYS
The process of
tending or servicing buoys has been the basic mission of the 180s
throughout their careers. It is a process that has evolved through
several important technological changes but one that remains
fundamentally the same. Tending an ATON begins with traveling to its
location and making contact. Once on scene, the conning officer
maneuvers the vessel alongside the buoy so the deck force can snag it
with reaching poles. Approaching a buoy is often a tricky and hazardous
proposition since the marker's very purpose is often to mark shallow
water or other hazards to navigation. The difficult nature of the task
is reflected in the records of frequent groundings by the buoy tender
fleet. The 180s original design, specifically single screw propulsion,
meant they were not the most maneuverable platforms and required a
skilled ship handler to bring them alongside an ATON. The addition of
bow thrusters during later
renovations made them more nimble during close quarters maneuvering. Once
alongside a buoy, the deck crew snags it and then attaches the hook from
the cargo boom to a lifting eye on the marker. Then the boom operator
lifts the buoy out of the water and deposits it on the open well deck in
front of the superstructure where it is secured. The process of
recovering the buoy has not changed in any appreciable way over the
years. Bringing the buoy on board is less than half the recovery
process. A concrete block or 'sinker' weighing many thousands of pounds
anchors each buoy. Heavy steel chain links the anchor block to the
floating buoy. In order to conduct a thorough inspection of the whole
system, the chain and sinker must be brought up. The mooring chain is
led through a chain stopper on the edge of the well deck. The chain
stopper is a mechanical device that prevents chain from slipping back
overboard, essentially a one-way valve for chain. After the chain is
secure in the chain stopper the boom operator reaches as far down the
chain as possible and snags a length of chain, which is pulled up, laid
in the chain stopper, and secured on deck with quick-releasing pelican
clamps as a safety mechanism. Once the chain is secure, the boom snags
another length and hauls it up. In this hand-over-hand fashion the boom
operator hauls up the entire mooring. Often the sinker is left hanging
overboard on the outside of the chain stopper. This part of the recovery
process has changed since the 180s entered service. Initially, the
vessels did not have a chain stopper mechanism, and chain was secured
only by tie downs when the boom released one length to grab another. The
crew of
Tupelo
is credited with inventing and demonstrating the value of a prototype
chain stopper in 1948. With buoy, chain, and sinker resting on the buoy
deck, or secured in the chain stopper, the deck force can begin working.
This is the opportunity to inspect the whole system and do any needed
painting, repair any structural damage, and check the batteries if it is
a lighted ATON. The biggest change in this area over the years has been
the shift from gas to electric lights, followed by the addition of solar
panels to lighted buoys. The panels greatly extend battery life, thereby
making battery replacement a less common chore. Sweetgum conducted
the first at-sea “solarization” of a lighted buoy. At present all
lighted buoys mount solar panels to extend battery life and improve the
reliability of the light. Once
serviced, the buoy must be returned to its charted position. Similarly,
new or replacement buoys must be placed exactly on station. To
accomplish this task, navigators feed information from the ship's
satellite navigation system to the conning officer who guides the vessel
to the correct place over the sea bottom. Once on station the bridge
tells the deck force to release the sinker. A blow with a sledgehammer
trips the chain stopper's release mechanism. This release sends the
sinker to the bottom. The deck crew cuts or releases any tie downs
securing the chain to the deck. The process of finding the exact
position where the sinker belongs has changed dramatically over time.
Prior to the introduction of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) the
conning officer was directed to the correct spot by a team of at least
three crewmembers using survey sextants to measure horizontal angles to
known landmarks visible from the vessel. This process, while accurate
when done by experienced navigators, was time consuming and entailed
more chance for error than today's use of computerized navigation
systems. The shift from sextants to differential GPS has improved the
efficiency of repositioning ATON. Not all buoy stations are within sight
of land and sextant angles require fixed landmarks. In the days before
GPS the Coast Guard used LORAN or radar ranges to position these
offshore markers. GPS is more accurate than these older navigational
tools and has increased the accuracy of placement for offshore buoys.
Though the missions of the 180s became more mundane after World War II,
they were not without the possibility of excitement and danger. The US
Coast Guard had designed the 180s as functional SAR platforms and that
capability, proven by rescues during the war, allowed them to respond to
emergency calls throughout US waters. As the buoy tenders went about
their ATON work, they were always on standby for dispatch to the aid of
nearby mariners in distress. Dovetailing nicely with other SAR features
was their ability to break ice on frozen waterways. This
meant they could not only clear shipping lanes for routine commerce, but
also go to the aid of other vessels trapped in the ice. Hence, they
could carry out rescues that were impossible for most cutters and patrol
boats. Beyond their seaworthiness and icebreaking capabilities, the buoy
tender's SAR value was augmented by equipment for towing other vessels
and the ability to fight fires on ships or along the shore.
NEW ROLE FOR THE 180S
By the late 1940s all
the temporarily decommissioned buoy tenders had returned to service as
manpower levels stabilized. All thirty-nine members of the type were
engaged in ATON, SAR, and, depending on their location, icebreaking
duties. Their combined operations covered the entire shoreline of the
continental
United States
, the waters around
Hawaii
and
Alaska
, and large portions of the Pacific Ocean. During the postwar years the
180s were also increasingly involved in law enforcement activities.
These efforts centered on two disparate pursuits. The buoy tenders
helped enforce various federal fishing laws and regulations, with
particular focus on fishing in the Bering Sea and
Gulf of Alaska
. The efforts emphasized keeping foreign fishing vessels out of US
waters and enforcement of international agreements on the high seas.
Tenders stationed farther south along the
California
coast and those in the Southeastern United States
were concerned with drug smuggling more than illegal fishing. As the
flow of illicit drugs entering the
U.S.
increased, many cutters, 180s included, went out to sea to meet vessels
headed for American ports, not to provide aid or check their fishing
catch but to search them for cargoes of contraband. The efforts to
interdict drug smugglers increased throughout the latter half of the
century as the volume of smuggling increased. In the 1980s and 1990s
preventing undocumented immigrants from entering the
US
by sea was added to the list of maritime law enforcement activities
pursued by the 180s.
CONTINUING MILITARY
SERVICE
The 180s saw limited
duty in the Korean War and significant action in
Vietnam
. Five of the buoy tenders served in the waters around South Vietnam
. None took up permanent station in the theater; instead, they rotated
through short tours from homeports in the Philippines
and elsewhere in the Pacific. The vessels spent most of their time
placing and maintaining ATON marking coastal and inland waterways.
Simultaneously, they conducted extensive training of Vietnamese
nationals in preparation for the day when the ATON system passed into
Vietnamese hands. This transfer was completed in 1972. Other missions
carried out by the 180s serving in the war zone included cargo
transport, survey work, and support of efforts to interdict enemy supply
lines. Most of the 180s did not
see wartime action after their service in World War II. This does not
mean, however, that military training was not part of the buoy tender's
overall mission. The potential military role of the Coast Guard,
however, means USCG units participate in periodic military exercises and
operations with the US Navy and allied maritime forces. As part of the
US Coast Guard, the buoy tenders regularly drilled to improve their
ability to find enemy forces, engage potential targets, survive battle
damage, and work in concert with naval units. These maritime defense
activities have been ongoing throughout the class' history and continue
today.
THE FLEET SHRINKS
By the early 1970s
the 180s had reached their thirtieth anniversaries as Coast Guard
cutters. It was during this decade that the buoy tender inventory began
to shrink. Appropriately enough, the first to go was Cactus, the
first built. Cactus ran hard aground in 1971 and the damage was
so extensive that the government decided to decommission the vessel
rather than repair her. The USCG decommissioned the first of the 180s
two days shy of the thirtieth anniversary of her launch. Two more 180s
left active duty, albeit less traumatically
and according to longstanding plans, the following year. A fourth vessel
left service in 1973 and two more followed in 1975. These vessels, even Cactus,
went on to second careers in the hands of foreign governments or
private owners.
Only one buoy tender
was decommissioned by design in the 1980s; Sagebrush left active
duty in April 1988, more than forty-four years after her
commissioning. It was, however, a hard decade on the 180 fleet. On 28
January 1980, Blackthorn collided with a commercial tanker in
Tampa Bay
,
Florida
. The collision holed and capsized the buoy tender and it sank quickly,
killing twenty-three members of the crew. In December 1989
Mesquite
grounded on a rock pinnacle
jutting from the bottom of Lake Superior
. The crew safely abandoned ship in lifeboats, but the vessel suffered
severe damage after pounding against the rocks during winter storms.
USCG planners decided to decommission
Mesquite
soon after the accident and a commercial salvage company scuttled her in
1990. Three of the buoy tenders became Medium Endurance cutters
(WMEC) during the 1980s. These conversions entailed the removal of the
buoy handling gear and reassignment to predominately LE and SAR patrol
duties.
The
US Coast Guard decommissioned fourteen buoy tenders in the 1990s and
seven more in the early years of the next decade. In early 2002, eight
of the thirty-nine 180s remained in service as USCG buoy tenders. One
other 180 remained in commission as a cutter, but operated in the role
of a training and support vessel. Few of the decommissioned cutters have
actually been destroyed or dismantled. Instead, they can be found
throughout the world. A number were transferred overseas under the
Foreign Military Sales Program and serve the navies of countries
friendly to the
United States. Two have embarked on careers as fishing vessels. One
serves as a mobile base and
supply ship for a missionary group working in the Pacific. Even Cactus,
first of the 180s, first wrecked, and first decommissioned, still
exists. The remains of the tender built in 1941 serve as a barge in the
Pacific Northwest. The 180s that have passed out of use entirely were
sunk as reefs or ended their lives as targets for naval munitions tests.
MAINTENANCE,
REPAIR, AND OVERHAUL
The
180-footer design, drawn up before World War II and built in the early
1940s, has demonstrated remarkable longevity. The US Coast Guard
decommissioned the bulk of the class only within the last decade and
nine vessels continue to serve on active duty, sixty years after they
were built and well past the projected life span of any military vessel.
This is not to say that the 180s simply steamed out of the shipyard
after their completion and were so well built that they lasted for five
or six decades. To keep these
buoy tenders on active duty the US Coast Guard has expended millions of
dollars. The efforts that kept the 180s operating into the twenty-first
century began in the early 1940s. Even as they went about their duties
in the midst of war, maintenance remained a regular part of every
tender's routine. Maintenance carried out by the tender crews as part of
the everyday routine was interspersed with “availability” periods.
During these periods, scheduled at the request of the tender's captain
or by orders sent down the chain of command, the individual tenders
temporarily left service while the regular crew, often augmented by ship
repair specialists, addressed maintenance issues too complex to handle
while the vessel pursued its regular mission. The availability periods
took many forms. In the simplest incarnation, the tender would anchor
out of the way or tie up alongside a dock after a long voyage or
operation and the whole crew would devote a few days to putting
everything in order. In instances where the vessels required extensive
work, the tenders visited shipyards in the
US
or at naval bases overseas. A visit to a shipyard
entailed any number of repairs including time in a drydock for work on
the hull and exterior propulsion equipment. After the war the
180s were placed on a cyclical maintenance schedule. Exact timetables
varied from ship to ship and according to the service's needs, but on
average, each cutter visited a shipyard for a yard period or
“availability” on a biannual basis. Time in the yard allowed for the
undertaking of major repairs and improvements as well as routine
maintenance chores like painting the hull. Some of these yard periods
took place at the US Coast Guard's yard in
Curtis
Bay
, but most occurred at commercial shipyards near the individual tender's
homeport. Buoy tenders were, of
course, sent to the nearest yard equipped to handle the problem after
groundings or other mishaps. In a few instances the Curtis
Bay
yard carried out special work to prepare vessels for unique projects.
This was the case when Spar and Bramble were readied for a
trip through the
Northwest Passage
and Evergreen underwent conversion to become an oceanographic
research vessel. Cyclical yard periods and the efforts of
personnel stationed on the buoy tenders kept them in proper shape for
many years. Nevertheless, by the 1970s the vessels had reached the end
of their projected thirty-year life spans and many were in need of
substantial overhauls if their service careers were to continue. The
first round of overhauls to affect the 180 fleet, known as “Austere
Renovations”, began in 1974. Improvements carried out as part of the
Austere Renovation program consisted of habitability improvements,
engineering improvements, and equipment upgrades. The habitability
improvements included modernization of the World War II-era crew
quarters and sanitary facilities, installation of a crew lounge,
remodeling of the dispensary area, and improved climate control systems.
Work in the engineering spaces centered on the overhaul of the
propulsion systems and a general modernization of the engineering plant.
Equipment upgrades elsewhere included installation of modern electronics
and replacement of aging deck machinery. Four buoy tenders went through
the Austere Renovation program. At about the same time the Austere
renovations commenced, the US Coast Guard began rotating other 180s
through shipyards for more extensive improvements as part of the 'Major
Renovation' (MAJREN) program. Under the MAJREN program, vessels received
new diesel engines while the main electrical motor and its control
systems underwent a thorough overhaul. New electrical wiring and
switchboards were installed, as were entirely new water piping and
sewage handling systems. Each vessel received a bow thruster to improve
its maneuverability in close quarters. Future crews benefited from the
replacement and modernization of all furnishings in the living areas.
Decreasing the size of the forward hold allowed the expansion of the
living area itself. Fourteen 180s went through the MAJREN program. These
repairs and improvements extended each vessels service life by an
estimated ten to fifteen years. The
third renovation program to affect members of the 180 classes was the
Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). This program began in 1983 and
culminated a decade later. These renovations all took place at
Curtis
Bay
and involved vessels that previously went through the MAJREN program.
Whereas, Austere and MAJREN had entailed significant overhaul, the SLEP
was the most extensive effort to extend the class' life span. During the
yard periods new main engines and generators replaced the aging power
plants. Upgrades and replacement components served to modernize the
electrical systems. Shipyard technicians installed new navigational
systems and computer controls for the engineering systems. SLEP work was
far more than the replacement or upgrade of various systems or simply
the addition of new equipment;
it also entailed significant structural changes. Workers sandblasted
each vessel throughout to remove all paint and expose the underlying
steel for careful inspection. Shipyard workers tore away the existing
deckhouse and replaced it with a new structure that included an expanded
pilothouse, ship's office, and radio room. Internal changes included the
installation of smaller forward tanks and the conversion of the forward
cargo hold to make room for the installation of more berthing space,
including bunks and heads for female sailors and a crew lounge. The
reconfigured space also included boatswain, electrical, damage control,
and electronics workshops. Work was done in the internal spaces to
improve the watertight integrity of the vessel. Up on deck, a hydraulic
system replaced the electric weight handling gear and the boom
operator's booth was relocated. For Cactus class vessels SLEP
included removal of the A-frame and reconfiguring the cargo handling
system so the boom attached to the bridge wings. Hydraulic weight
handling systems were also added to the boat davits on either side of
the superstructure. The SLEP overhauls were extensive and they were also
time consuming and costly. The average cost for a single tender to pass
through the SLEP was $11 million. Time spent in the yard averaged
eighteen months or, according to the analysis of two representative
overhauls, 210,000-215,000 man-hours by shipyard workers. Like the
earlier programs, the SLEP helped to extend the service life span of the
aging buoy tenders. Coast Guard projections during the period estimated
the SLEP would extend vessel
life spans by fifteen to twenty years. Three SLEP vessels remain in
service as of 2002. All other 180s that went through the SLEP program
left service beginning in 1999.
THE
REPLACEMENTS
Renovating and
improving the 180s bought time, but it did not ameliorate a basic
problem facing the service. The US Coast Guard would eventually need to
replace the 180s. While a steel vessel can be kept functioning almost in
perpetuity, the cost of doing so eventually reaches a point where
replacement is the preferred option. The
savings can be measured in monetary terms as well as improved efficiency
resulting from fewer breakdowns, less frequent yard periods, and the use
of more advanced technologies. By the 1990s it was time to begin
the lengthy process of creating a successor for the vessels one
authority called, ". . . quite possibly the most versatile and
useful cutter ever built for the Coast Guard," and, ". . .
clearly the most multi-mission capable ship in the Black Fleet." An
initial planning and consultation period ended in January 1993 when the
USCG awarded a contract to Marinette Shipbuilding for the production of
a new class of seagoing buoy tenders. Marinette Shipbuilding won a
second contract in June 1993 for the construction of a new class of
coastal buoy tender. The new seagoing tender class took the name of the
prototype vessel: Juniper. The coastal tenders became the Keeper
class, each named for a well-known lighthouse keeper from the past.
The Juniper class vessels measure 225 feet in length, 46 feet in
beam, and are propelled by two diesel engines driving a single reduction
gear and a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP). Marinette builds them
with both a bow and stern thruster, which combined with the CPP makes
for a maneuverable platform. Like the 180s, they can handle limited
icebreaking duties. The new seagoing tender incorporates many advances
in maritime technology that allow the tenders, though larger than their
predecessors, to operate effectively with a smaller crew.
Perhaps the most
significant advance is the use of a dynamic positioning system (DPS) to
help keep the tender on station. The DPS involves computerization of the
systems that maneuver the vessel, namely propulsion and steering,
combined with the latest in satellite navigation technology. This system
allows the Juniper class vessels to maintain position within a
10-meter radius in 30-knot winds and 8' seas. Juniper passed from
Marinette Shipbuilding to the USCG in 1996. Projections call for a total
of sixteen Juniper class tenders. Keeper
class tenders
measure 175 feet in length and have a beam of 36 feet. They are the
first USCG cutters propelled by a twin Z-Drive. This propulsion system
is essentially a propeller installed within a nozzle that can rotate 360
degrees. This means thrust, in any amount manageable by the vessel's
diesel engine, can be applied in any direction. The Z-Drive system,
popular with many newer tugboats, combined with a bow thruster ensures
the Keeper class tenders have excellent maneuverability and
station-keeping qualities. Each vessel also carries dynamic positioning
systems, honing the vessel's ability to hover on station even further.
As of 2002 the USCG had fourteen Keeper class tenders in service.
As
the new seagoing and coastal tenders have entered service, the US Coast
Guard decommissioned the older 180s.
A
GREAT DESIGN
The 180-foot
buoy-tending cutters built for the US Coast Guard during the early 1940s
are remarkable in terms of their longevity. Except the US Coast Guard's Storis,
no other military vessels on active duty today served in World War
II. The 180s longevity is not a case of superior construction, though
they were undoubtedly built quite solidly.
The service performed by the class for over sixty years is a function of
their design. The 180s were extremely versatile and perfectly suited for
their multifaceted role. They could break ice, replace a buoy, and save
a sinking ship all in the course of a day's work. Moreover, they could
complete these missions within sight of their homeport or steam across
thousands of miles of ocean to complete an assigned task. They did not
become outmoded until computers, satellites, and automation changed the
way ships are built and equipped. The US Coast Guard spent time and
money keeping the 180s in service long beyond their projected life span
because that remained the best option. These ships that fought U-boats
in World War II have spent millions of hours since making the world's
waterways a safer place for science, commerce, and recreation. This was
possible due to the design’s versatility and reliability. Obsolescence
crept up on the 180s very slowly, producing a tenure unmatched in
twentieth-century American maritime history. The
180-foot buoy tenders proved to be extremely versatile vessels during
their long careers. Though all spent some portion of their time afloat
servicing buoys, they served in many other pursuits as well. Many of
these alternate activities revolved around the vessel's intended
secondary missions, search and rescue, law enforcement, and icebreaking.
Often, however, the tenders
carried out missions never envisioned by their designers, ranging from
transporting rare tropical fish to landing scientific parties on
drifting icebergs. This plethora of pursuits when combined with the wide
geographic distribution of the 180s makes it difficult to describe a
typical or generic career for a 180. The oceangoing buoy tenders built
for the US Coast Guard in the early 1940s served around the world and
fulfilled the service's requirement for a true multi-mission capable
platform.
Cutter History:
World War II
USCGC
Buttonwood (WAGL306) was built
at Duluth, MN
and commissioned there on
24 September 1943. Her commanding
officer throughout the war was LT R.
W. Fish, USGGR. On
1 November
1943 she arrived at
Coast
Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, Maryland for fitting out
and on 27 December
1943 left on her shakedown cruise. On 22 January 1944, she was assigned to
the Pacific Fleet. On
27 February 1944, her commanding officer reported
to Commander,
South Pacific as she was moored
at Balboa,
Canal Zone
undergoing alterations and repairs.
On
5 March 1944
Buttonwood,
in company with the YPG-33, got
underway from
Balboa for Espiritu Santu,
New Hebrides, where she arrived, via Galapagos Islands, on 12 April 1944,
after a stopover at
Bora Bora. After an 8-day availability, she got underway with Task Unit 35.3.8
for
Guadalcanal
. Arriving there
on May 1st she reported to Commander Task Unit 35.6 and was assigned to
Commander Naval Base, Tulagi for duty. She was assigned as a harbor craft to
tend and establish buoys. On 28 May 1944, she was detached and assigned
from the
3rd to the 7th Fleet for
temporary duty.
On
1 June 1944, she departed
Guadalcanal for Brisbane
, Australia
arriving on the 7th. After an availability she
proceeded to
Frederick
Reef Anchorage to repair and resurrect the light structure there. On 1July
1944 she departed via
Cairns
, and Thursday Island for Bramble Gay, Torres Strait, stopping en route to
inspect the light structure at Coconut
Island
. After two days spent in repairing the
light at Bramble
Cay, she
departed on 13 July
1944, for
Double
Island
, Torres Strait, where her company were engaged in erecting a light
structure until the 15th, when she departed for Thursday Island with
an injured man,
returning to Double
Island
on the
17th for
four more
days work.
Her work was interrupted on the 22nd when she went to the assistance of the
SS Minjak Tanah, aground on
Thrush Reef,
Great Barrier Reef. Next day
she towed the vessel free at high tide and returned to
Double
Island
where the work was completed on the 29th. On 31 July 1944, she proceeded to
Ipili Reef, Torres Strait, to construct and erect a light structure. The
work here was completed 5 August 1944.
Returning to Thursday Island
for water and supplies she proceeded to
Dalrymple
Island
on 11 August 1944, to move and re-erect the light structure. This was
completed on the 13th and she proceeded to Cairns for drydock and repairs
until 16 September 1944. On 13 September and 19 September, she repaired
Waterwitch Reef and Coconut Island Lights.
On 22 September 1944, Buttonwood departed Thursday Island for
Milne Bay
,
New Guinea
inspecting a ship aground on Warrior Reef,
Great Barrier Reef
en route. She arrived at
Milne
Bay
on 26 September 1944, where she moored until 16 October 1944, awaiting
orders, working on aids to navigation in
Milne
Bay
on two occasions during that period. Departing
Milne
Bay
for Manus
Island
, Admiralties, she anchored in
Seeadler
Harbor
on 18 October 1944 and after taking on navigational aid equipment, departed
24 October 1944, for Hollandia and the Philippines
as escort to convoy Love-9. She anchored in
San
Pedro
Bay,
Leyte Gulf
, Philippine Islands, on 4 November 1944, during an air raid. During the
rest of 1944 she was engaged in carrying out buoy, navigational aid and
survey work in
San
Pedro
Bay
and at Guinan, Samar
Island, Philippine Islands, as part of Task Unit 70.5.1.
During
this period there were air raids in the area every day. On 12 November 1944,
Buttonwood expended two
rounds of 3" 50 caliber ammunition at Japanese aircraft, and, on the
18th, eight rounds. Again on the 23rd she expended 120 rounds of 20 MM AA
with no visible hits and no casualties sustained. On the 24th there was an
air raid at 0730 and Buttonwood
is believed to have hit a twin engine Japanese bomber by fire from her
3" 50 caliber gun. The plane was seen to crash. Four men on the Buttonwood
were injured by shrapnel. All clear was sounded at 0930. Several other raids
took place that day and, though the cutter engaged in anti-aircraft fire, no
hits were observed or casualties sustained. In one of the raids on the 25th
the cutter expended 120 rounds of 20 MM AA without observing any hits,
though 3 men suffered shrapnel casualties. On the 26th, in another raid,
numerous hits were observed on one Japanese aircraft which crashed in flames
off the starboard bow. There were
no casualties
on the cutter. The all clear sounded at 0117 after an hour and 3 minutes of
action. At 0615, Buttonwood hit
either wreckage or a coral head and severely damaged her sound head,
beginning to take water slowly. On the 27th three other vessels joined the
cutter for survey work. As November ended the raids were still going on.
Work in
San
Pedro
Bay
was continued through 25 December 1944, except for a trip to do similar work
at Guinan,
Samar
on 10-11 December. Air raids took place every day except 17-18 December. On
25 December 1944, Buttonwood
proceeded to Guinan,
Samar
for buoy and survey work in that harbor.
While
anchored in
Guinan
Harbor, Samar
Island, Philippine Islands on 25 December 1944
Buttonwood was asked at 2100 to assist the SS Sommeldijk
which was afire, having been hit by an aerial torpedo on the port bow. With
HMAS Gascoyne, Buttonwood
went alongside and ran 12 fire lines aboard. The fire was confined to No.1
hold which contained mostly lumber. Two hours later the cutter secured the
fire lines and cast off with a load of Dutoh troops who were transferred to
landing craft and taken ashore. At 2400, she returned to the burning vessel
to cool off the sides which by
this time
were cherry red. No.2 hold containing ammunition was partially flooded.
Because of hot plates and the fact that the cutter's main magazine was on
her starboard side, it was necessary to layoff underway and direct hose
streams against the side and in the hole made by the torpedo. As the plates
cooled, it became possible to get in close enough, while still underway, and
direct 12 hose lines on the sides and in the hole. By 0415 on 26 December
1944, the fire
was out
and all lines secured. All during the operation the area was under an air
raid alert for most of the night, with blackout routine being followed. This
added to the difficulties of fighting the fire.
Buttonwood
continued to carry out buoy, navigational aid, and survey work in
Guinan
Harbor
,
Samar
, Philippine Islands,
with HMAS
ML-1074,
Sandfly, and Dart
temporarily
attached for survey work during this period. Air raids took place daily
except on the 5th, 8th, 10th to 16th, 20th and 30th of January, 1945.
Periodical trips were made to San
Pedro
Bay
to pick up fuel, water and supplies. On 15 February 1945, the cutter moved
to Lauaan
Bay, Samar, Philippine Islands, for the same type of work and on the 22nd
shifted to Dulag,
San
Pedro
Bay
until the 27th when she moved to Tacloban Harbor
. There were air raids on the 3rd, 8th, 15th, 25th and 28th of February.
On
April 1,
1945, she was inspecting buoys at
Milne
Bay
while en route to
Brisbane
, Australia. She replaced a buoy in Jack Dell Channel and re-lighted Dorasi
Shoal lighted buoy, inspecting Brumer Island Light which was found to be
burning brightly. After re-lighting the
Pana
Wapana
Island
light she proceeded to
Brisbane
via Bouganville Reef, where she found the seas too rough to re-light the
light and proceeded to
Brisbane. This
was reached on 8 April
1945.
Alterations
and repairs were made on Buttonwood
at
Brisbane
until 23 May
1945, when she left for the
Philippines
via Manus, where she arrived 12 June 1945, for underwater sound repairs.
Departing next day for the
Philippines
she arrived at
San
Pedro
Bay
on the 19th; Tacloban on the 20th; and Lauaan,
Samar
on the 21st. On the 22nd she proceeded to
Tolosa
Beach, Leyte, servicing aids to navigation en route and continued the same
activity for the rest of the month in the
Leyte Gulf
area. On27 June 1945, she was transferred to Commander, Philippine Sea
Frontier. She continued to service aids to navigation in
Leyte Gulf
under
this command
until 22 August 1945.
From
23-26 August
she fitted out preparatory to joining Task Group 71.2 for duty in
Okinawa
. On the 28th she got underway to rendezvous
with the Task Force. En route to Okinawa
on 1 September
1945, both generators went out of service but were repaired by the ship's
forces. They went
out of
service again on the 2nd and she had to be
towed by APD-
77
and ATR-10
to
Buckner
Bay
, Okinawa, where she berthed on the 4th. She remained here until the 30th
awaiting repair parts to shaft and generators.
Post-War
Once
the war was over Buttonwood
continued to service aids to navigation throughout the Pacific. She was home
ported in Honolulu
,
HI
with another] 80-ft buoy tender, CGC Mallow. Their area of
responsibility covered most of the 12.5 million square miles in the Coast
Guard's 14th District. Buttonwood
's operating area ranged south from America Samoa, then north and west to
the
Marshall Islands
, the Marianas, the
Philippines
and Japan.
1950s
Buttonwood
's crew continued to maintain aids to navigation as the new decade arrived.
Their other major mission was to re-supply LORAN-A stations located
throughout the Pacific. The French Frigate Shoals LORAN system included 9
remote stations and the
Kwajalein
chain included 12. These stations needed monthly supply visits to continue
operations. The new LORAN system was especially important. During the advent
of the Korean War, when naval operations increased dramatically in the
Pacific. In 1953, Buttonwood
carried a Dodge Power Wagon across the Pacific to the French Frigate Shoals
LORAN station and delivered it to the island. Buttonwood
transited through the harbor and moored, in what was said to be the first
mooring at French Frigate Shoals since World War II. Prior to this, ships
had anchored offshore and brought the supplies ashore via small boat. The
fathometer operator reported that during the transit there were several very
shallow areas and spots where the channel was so narrow, that you could
watch the over the side and see coral reefs within a "few feet" of
the hull.
In December 1953 Buttonwood was
tasked with posting "US Fish and Wildlife Sanctuary" signs on the
Pacific
Islands
and may be the only ship that stopped on every island and islet from Midway
to Kuai. At each island Buttonwood
would send a small boat crew ashore to post these signs. Buttonwood
continued to maintain a partnership with the Fish and Wildlife Service by
providing a platform for marine mammal and fish studies on the uninhabited
islands of Jarvis, Howland
and Baker.
At
the outbreak of the Korean War, Buttonwood
was re-equipped with sonar gear, guns and depth charges. Though she was
never directly involved with combat, Buttonwood
was prepared and trained with the Navy by participating in "war
games". These games often seemed like "cat and mouse" where Buttonwood
was tracked by Navy submarines and she in turn tried to detect the
submarines with sonar equipment. The K-guns and depth charges were
subsequently removed in the mid-1950s. Another small but important mission
was providing aids to navigation for military tests sites throughout the
Pacific. Prior to the famous Bravo test for the first Hydrogen bomb, Buttonwood
transited to Bikini Atoll and set buoys and markers for the incoming naval
ships. Though the atoll was beautiful, crewmembers were strictly warned not
to take pictures or artistically replicate anything seen during the mission.
In
addition to her aids to navigation mission, Buttonwood
continued to play an active role in the Coast Guard's Search and Rescue
mission. In September 1952, Buttonwood
joined forces with 15 other ships, planes and helicopters in the
unsuccessful search for a downed US Air Force ADT4 Douglas Sky Raider dive
bomber north of Maui and
Molokai
. From 4-10 July 1954, she escorted the damaged cutter Iroquois
from Midway to
Honolulu. Buttonwood also
participated in an unsuccessful search for an overboard crew member for the
sampan Fuji Maru approximately 70
nautical miles southwest of Hawaii
on 6 March 1958. On 14 March 1958 she assisted the M/V Hawaiian
Trader aground on a reef approximately 75 nautical miles southwest of
Hawaii.
1960s
Buttonwood
continued with her aids to navigation and LORAN station supply runs into the
1960s. The LORAN station at Kure
Island required annual fueling along with the monthly supply runs to the
French Frigate Shoals station. When Buttonwood
refueled French Frigate and Kure
, she carried 300 fifty-five gallon drums of aviation gas (JP-5) secured on
the buoy deck. Prior to Buttonwood
's supply runs, it would either take two cutters or two trips to complete
the mission. Buttonwood also
maintained 120 short-range aids to navigation throughout the Pacific, which
required annual inspection and maintenance visits to ensure their continued
reliability. Consequently, Buttonwood
typically logged 15,000 miles and over 180 underway days per year in support
of these operations. A beneficial addition to Buttonwood
's aids to navigation platform was the introduction of a dive team. This
team typically consisted of the Operations Officer, an Ensign and a Seaman.
The dive team increased the efficiency of the buoy tender significantly. One
job for which they were responsible was to dive down to the worn section of
chain on the buoy and measure whether it needed to be replaced or not. They
also set buoys by towing them on station by small boat while a diver tripped
the pelican hook holding the chain and sinker off the bottom. Buttonwood
was responsible for constructing several lighted shore structures to improve
the aids to navigation systems in the
Marshall
and Samoan
Islands. Often this required hauling large amounts of concrete, sand, gravel
and water over expansive coral reefs in order to lay a proper foundation
upon which to erect the light. Buttonwood
also continued to answer the call of the mariner in distress. On 26 November
1965 Buttonwood steamed 900 mjles
southwest of Honolulu
to rendezvous with the Taihea Maru
#10 and pick up a seriously wounded shark attack victim. Although the
victim was seriously injured, Buttonwood
safely transported him back to
Honolulu
where he made a full recovery. During the mid-1960's Buttonwood
also rescued 18 men from the stranded fishing vessel Kaiyo
Maru #25 at
Laysan Island
.
1970s
During
the 1970's Buttonwood continued
her long tradition of service in the Pacific completing traditional aids to
navigation and LORAN station missions. However, she was also involved in
many unique Coast Guard missions throughout the
Pacific Ocean. Her annual South Pacific ATON trip provided an opportunity to extend good
will and friendship between the
United States
and the south central Pacific island kingdoms. Relations reached a
high point
during the SOUTHPAC of 1976 when after visiting
Western Samoa
and
Fiji. Buttonwood had the distinct
honor of transporting the King of Tonga back to his home in Nuku'alofa. On
another visit to
Tonga, Buttonwood extended her
welcome to the locals and showed the movie 'Watership Down" on a mess
deck projection screen. Buttonwood
was also called upon to conduct occasional law enforcement missions. On 15
September 1972, she boarded a Japanese fishing vessel during a fisheries
patrol. This vessel, Kaiaio Maru #33
was issued a warning for unauthorized fishing eleven miles off
Laysan Island
. In 1977 Buttonwood served as On
Scene Commander at Kahoolawe
Island
in operations aimed at preventing unauthorized fishing. On 4 May 1977, she
boarded the Russian fishing vessel Ekvator
at Hancock Sea Mount, 165 miles northwest of
Kure
Island
and cited her for illegal fishing under the newly adopted Fisheries
Conservation and Management Act of 1976. Buttonwood
also provided a platform for a variety of scientific projects. During the
early 1970s, Buttonwood made
two" bird trips" to Midway with intermediate stops at small
uninhabited islands such as Necker, Lisianski, Gardiner Pinnacles, and
Laysan. The purpose of these stops was to deliver biologists from the
Hawaiian Wildlife Refuge to the islands, so they could survey and observe
various birds, seals and turtles. Usually, after the scientists were
finished with their work, the crew was allowed to go ashore and look around.
A highlight was collecting the Japanese long line glass fishing floats,
which littered the shore by the hundreds. One crewmember recalled the glass
floats "glittering like emeralds" as Buttonwood
approached the island.
Buttonwood
continued to be an efficient search and rescue platform. In August 1971 and
1978, she patrolled the Transpacific Yacht Race. During the 1971 race, the
sailing vessel Greybeard sheared
off its rudder post while still 500 miles off
Honolulu. Buttonwood responded
and safely towed Greybeard and
her crew ashore. During the 1978 race, she located the overdue sailing
vessel Robert Quinn. Manned by a
solo sailor in the Transpacific race, Robert
Quinn was on a course, which, if not intercepted by Buttonwood,
would have taken it far beyond the
Hawaiian Islands
without ever seeing them. Upon locating the vessel, Buttonwood
escorted Robert Quinn to Kauai.
Buttonwood
continued servicing aids to navigation and LORAN stations through the 1970s.
In July 1979 French Frigate Shoals LORAN station was decommissioned and Buttonwood
was on scene to carry the last load of supplies back to
Hawaii. With French Frigate Shoal's decommissioning and the advent of
biweekly C-130 logistics flights to
Kure
Island, Buttonwood 's responsibilities
in the Pacific were reduced measurably and in 1981 she was reassigned to
Galveston, Texas.
1980s
On
the voyage from
Honolulu
to
Galveston
Buttonwood made port calls in
Pago Pago,
Costa Rica,
Panama,
Grand Cayman
Island, and the
Bahamas. Hospitality varied in the different ports. In
Costa Rica
Buttonwood was considered a
dangerous warship and the Costa Rican military posted armed guards at the
gangplank with M-1 carbines. In Pago Pago, however, Buttonwood worked
buoys for the king, was thrown a party by the royal family and played
softball with the locals. Buttonwood
arrived in
Galveston
in April 1981, where she would stay for the remainder of the decade. Her
primary duty would continue to be aids to navigation. Buttonwood
's long history of multi-mission service was recognized by the communities
throughout the
Gulf of Mexico. She was welcomed in many ports and even had a unique honor bestowed upon
her by
Pensacola,
FL.
On 23 September 1981, city officials celebrated and named the day “USCGC Buttonwood
Day." One of the duties Buttonwood
completed while stationed in
Galveston
was the repair and re-positioning of buoys after hurricanes ravaged the
Gulf of Mexico. In 1983, after Hurricane Alicia hit, Buttonwood
completed a position check of every buoy in her operational area. Her crew
reset nearly every buoy from
Calcasieu,
Louisiana
to Brownsville, Texas on the Mexican border. Buttonwood
completed similar aids to navigation restoration missions following
hurricanes Danny and Elela in 1985.
Buttonwood
also joined forces with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) during the 1980s. NOAA utilized the capabilities of
this multi purpose tender to assist with setting, relieving and servicing
NOAA buoys. These buoys provided NOAA
with accurate weather reports transmitted via satellite every hour. Buttonwood
assisted NOAA with several weather buoys including the gigantic] a-meter
diameter buoys. These buoys were set far off shore, in very deep water with
thousands of feet of chain and nylon line. Buttonwood
completed many other missions while stationed in
Texas
. In 1984, Buttonwood received
the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for participation in the
disposal of unstable hazardous chemicals following the tragic explosion
aboard the M/V Rio Newquen in the
port
of
Houston
. In 1985, Buttonwood
participated in Universal Trek, a large-scale military exercise off the
coast of
Central America
. However, this exercise was not all work. Buttonwood
stopped for liberty in
Honduras
and
Grand Cayman
Island
before returning to homeport. In January 1989 Buttonwood
was commended for her successful fire fighting on the fishing vessel Gulf
Cloud off
Louisiana
.
1990s
In
the spring of 1991, after almost 50 years of faithful service, Buttonwood
transited to the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland where she had
completed her major outfitting and sea trials almost a half of century
prior. This time she was bound for Curtis Bay for decommissioning...not to
be laid to rest, but to receive a major renovation designed to extend her
life by another 20 years under the service life extension program (SLEP).
Her crew cross-decked to the newly re-commissioned cutter Papaw,
another 180-ft tender, which would take Buttonwood
's place in
Galveston
. In January 1993, CGC Blackhaw,
a 180-ft. buoy tender, transited from
San Francisco
to
Curtis
Bay
for decommissioning. Upon Blackhaw's
decommissioning, the crew cross-decked to Buttonwood
and recommissioned her in a special commissioning status on 26 February
1993. Buttonwood left
Curtis
Bay
after the commissioning bound for her new homeport of San Francisco
. On 13 May 1993 she was officially re-commissioned at Yerba
Buena
Island,
San Francisco
.
Buttonwood
continued work in the aids to navigation field while stationed in
San Francisco
. She was responsible for over I 80 floating aids to navigation and 12 NOAA
weather buoys. Her area of responsibility ranged from the northern
California
border to
Monterey
,
CA.
San Francisco
Bay
and inland on the
Sacramento
and San Juaquin rivers. Buttonwood
continued her long-standing tradition of multi-mission work and was involved
in several search and rescue, environmental response and law enforcement
cases during the 1990s Buttonwood
successfully enforced international laws and treaties in two major law
enforcement cases during this decade. On 7 August 1995, she worked in
conjunction with US Navy Frigate USS
Wadsworth
and a Coast Guard LEDET in the seizure and transport of the motor vessel Bravo
along with 2,251 pounds of cocaine. The vessel was seized west of
Costa Rica
and finally towed into
San Diego
harbor by Buttonwood. During
OPERATION TRACKER II in September 1998, Buttonwood
was recalled from her aids to navigation mission to assist with the
successful interdiction of Chih Yung,
a 175-foot fishing vessel, carrying 172 illegal Chinese and Taiwanese
migrants. On 22 November 1996 an Air
Force C-130 crashed approximately 40 nautical miles west of Cape Mendicino,
CA. Group
Humboldt Bay
rescued the sole survivor soon after the aircraft crashed into the frigid
North Pacific waters. Buttonwood
recalled her crew from a 24-hour standby status and was underway within two
hours. They steamed to the scene, assumed on scene commander and completed
search and salvage assistance. Unfortunately, they were unable to recover
any more survivors from the 11-person crew.
On
8 June 1997 a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter departed on a search and
rescue case to remove five crewmembers from a capsized boat. Communications
at 2325 with Group Humboldt Bay reported that the helicopter was hovering
over a life raft with all five survivors on board. Then the helicopter
vanished. There were no indications of mechanical problems or distress. Buttonwood
quickly responded and joined several assets on scene to search for the
missing helicopter and its crew. After days of searching, only small
portions of the helicopter were found. About a month later, a salvage ship
recovered the helicopter. In 1997 the M/V Cape
Mohican spilled more than 80,000 gallons of heavy bunker and diesel fuel
from Pier 70 into
San Francisco
Bay
. The spilled oil spread quickly with the swift currents in the bay. The
damage ranged north to the Richmond-San Rafael bridge south to Hunter's
Point and west outside of the
Golden Gate
Bridge
. Buttonwood spent several days
on scene with deployable skimmers and booms cleaning the oil. Through the
crew's efforts, damage to the environment was minimized. Despite several
misfortunate cases, Buttonwood
had many more positive cases. On 11 March 1998, a distress call was
received from the fishing vessel John
G. with two persons aboard, disabled and adrift 700 nautical miles south
west of
Monterey,
California. The first to respond was the CGC
Long Island
. She arrived on scene and began to tow the John
G into
Morro Bay
,
CA
. However, after two days of towing, her screw was fouled by fishing gear
unseen by the crew, below the water's surface. Buttonwood
cancelled an ATON trip and safely towed both Long
Island and John G back to San
Francisco
Bay. During the 1990s, Buttonwood
also participated in several public affairs events including Fleet Week, the
Blessing of the Fleet, and Coast Guard Day in
Eureka, California. She also hosted many student cruises and formed a partnership with a local
elementary school.
2000s
With
Y2K Buttonwood prepared for her
sixth decade of service to the
United States
. In February 2000 while attending an intensive Navy training program, known
as tailored ship's training availability in San Diego, Buttonwood
was again called to service for a downed aircraft. Within two hours she was
underway en route to
Anacapa Island
,
California
to search for survivors of Alaska
Air Flight 261. Unfortunately, all Buttonwood
recovered was debris from the plane before she was released from the case. Buttonwood
continued servicing aids to navigation through June 2001. Due to the CGC Conifer's
(180-ft buoy tender) decommissioning and replacement with an inland buoy
tender, Buttonwood 's area of
responsibility changed. She was now responsible for servicing all off shore
buoys, while the new inland tender, George
Cobb, took over the inland buoys of
San Francisco
Bay
. This extended Buttonwood 's
area of responsibility from the northern
California
border south to the Mexico
border. During 2000 and 2001 Buttonwood
participated in Fleet Week and the Blessing of the Fleet, improving ties
with the local community. She also participated in an oil boom and skimmer
deployment exercise, known as VOSS and continued servicing NOAA buoys. 28
June 2001 marked the end of Buttonwood
's service to the
United States. This old cutter, however, was not to be laid to rest. The United States
Government transferred ownership the
Dominican Republic’s Navy.
USCGC
Buttonwood just prior to launching-30 November 1942
Commissioning
ceremony for USCGC Buttonwood- 25 September 1943
USCGC
Buttonwood tied up after her commissioning- 27 September 1943
USCGC
Buttonwood tied up at Honolulu-26 September 1946
USCGC
Buttonwood underway in 1960
USCGC
Buttonwood in drydock (date unknown)
Sources:
Cutter
File, Coast Guard Historian's Office.
Robert
Scheina. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II.
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1981.
Robert
Scheina. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946-1990.
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1990.
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