Sassafras, 1944
WLB-401 / WAGL-401
Call Sign: NODT
Nickname: "Sass"
Sassafras
is a genus of four species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae,
native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.
Builder: Marine
and Iron Shipbuilding Corporation, Duluth, MN
Builder's
Number: (bn CG-154)
Cost:
$864,032
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: 16 August 1943
Launched: 5
October 1943
Commissioned: 23
May 1944
Decommissioned: 31
October 2003
Status: Transferred
to Nigeria, now named Obula
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-1 (1945)
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 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:
World
War II
USCGC
Sassafras performed general ATON duties in the western Pacific.
Post-War
From
15 April 1945-23 August 1946 Sassafras was stationed at San Francisco, CA
then from 23 Aug 46-22 August 1947, the cutter was stationed at Honolulu, HI,
and used for general ATON duties. Sassafras was then transferred on 22
Aug 47 to Cape May, NJ where it was used for general ATON duties until 1977. On
18-19 January
1949 Sassafras assisted
USCGC Eastwind following a collision. On 16 January
1953 Sassafras temporarily assumed lightship duty on the Overfalls
Station. From 8-20 March 1957 Sassafras assisted following the collision
between Liberian MV Elna II and USNS
Mission of San Francisco near Patch Island. .On 4 September
1957 Sassafras assisted following a mid-air collision between two USAF
F89 aircraft in Delaware Bay. On 19 February 1958 Sassafras
assisted the tanker Tydol Flying A which was icebound in the Chesapeake
and Delaware Canal. On 20 November 1962 Sassafras' crew helped
fight fire on MV Sarpeon at 35 58 N, 75 29 W. On 30 April 1967 Sassafras
rescued five from FV Mockingbird, which sank 130 mi SE of New York City.
On 12 January 1969 Sassafras grounded on a pinnacle in the Hudson River
north of the Bear Mountain Bridge. The cutter was subsequently re-floated on 16
January. During 1977 and 1978 Sassafras underwent a major renovation at
the Coast Guard Yard at Curtis Bay, MD. Subsequently, the cutter was stationed
at Governors Island, NY from 1978-1981 and used for general ATON duties. From
1981 until her decommissioning in 2003, Sassafras was assigned to the
14th District and performed general ATON duties throughout the Pacific, first
stationed at Honolulu, HI she was subsequently transferred to Guam. On 27 March
1983 Sassafras seized Shinei Maru No 21 165 miles northwest of
Midway Island for illegal fishing. Later, on 21 February 1986 Sassafras
seized the Taiwanese FV Huey Shyang 31 near Pago Pago for fisheries
violations. In February 1989 Sassafras helped recover debris from United
Airlines Flight 811 off Hawaii.
USCGC Sassafras
commissioning- 23 May 1944
USCGC Sassafras
during World War II
Crew of USCGC Sassafras-
1945
USCGC Sassafras in
1948
Coast Guard helicopter
approaches USCGC Sassafras- no date
USCGC Sassafras- 11
April 1969
USCGC Sassafras breaking
ice on the Hudson River- 15 March 1971
Painting of USCGC Sassafras
by Nate Ostrow entitled "A Cutter's Last Voyage under the Stars and
Stripes"- (2003)
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.
