Cactus,
1941
WAGL-270
Call
Sign: NRZH
Builder: Marine
Iron & Shipbuilding Corporation, Duluth, MN
Builder's
Number: bn CG-76
Cost:
$782,381
Length: 180'
oa
Beam: 37'
mb
Draft: 12'
max (1945); 14' 7" (1966)
Displacement: 935
fl (1945); 1,026 fl (1966); 700 light (1966)
Keel
Laid: 31 March 1941
Launched: 25
November 1941
Commissioned: 1
September 1942
Decommissioned: 23
November 1971
Status: Sold
9 October 1973
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 men (1945); 4 officers, 2 warrants, 47 men (1966)
Electronics:
Radar: Bk
(1943); SL-1 (1945)
Sonar: WEA-2
(1945)
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 U.S. 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
U.S.
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 has fourteen Keeper class tenders in service. As
the new seagoing and coastal tenders have entered service, the US Coast
Guard has decommissioned the older 180s. At the beginning of 2002
there were nine of the old buoy
tenders still in commission. They will phase out slowly and tentative
plans call for Acacia to
be the last in service with a decommissioning date sometime in 2006.
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:
USCGC
Cactus was initially assigned to the First District in 1942 and
homeported at Boston, MA. On 12 June 1943 the tender collided with Manasquan
and received considerable damage. After World War II Cactus
continued to serve the First District from Boston. In addition to tending
ATON, the cutter also performed SAR and LE duties. On 2 March 1952 Cactus
provided assistance to FV Dorothy and Mary 20 miles south of
Nantucket. On 16 November 1953 Cactus fought a fire on FV Jane
and Patricia and later, on 26 August 1954 assisted FV Western Pride
which had grounded near Provincetown, MA. In 1957 Cactus assisted
the grounded MV Franco Lisi near Salem, MA on 10 February and on 27
July fought a pier fire in Boston and moved a 450-foot Norwegian merchant
vessel to safety away from the flames. During the night of 21-22 February
1959 Cactus assisted FV Jo-Ann and on 24-25 January 1966 she
escorted the disabled merchant vessel, South African Victory to
Boston. In 1967 Cactus' homeport was changed to Bristol, RI. On 4
February 1969 Cactus towed the disabled FV Chrisway to
safety from 140 miles southeast of Cape Henry. Later in 1969 the ship's
homeport was again changed. She arrived at her new station at Astoria, OR
in 1970 where she served until her decommissioning in 1971.
Photographs:
11
April 1942- Cactus still under construction after launching
at the Marine Iron & Shipbuilding Corporation, Duluth, MN
February
1949- Cactus in Boston Harbor
September
1968- Cactus anchored at Nassau, Bahamas
1
April 1969- USCGC Cactus
20
August 1971- Cactus off Washington State (photo by USCG
Photographer Ken Lane; Photo Number 092071-1-10)
2
October 1994- Former USCGC Cactus at the
breakers yard in
Tacoma, WA
(photo taken by LCDR Wayne P. Coffelt, USCGR)
Sources:
Cutter File,
Coast Guard Historian's Office.
HABS/HAER,
National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. US Coast Guard
180-Foot Buoy Tenders. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2003.
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.
