(Not exactly lighthouses, but this is about the Coast Guard, and features a series of Aid to Navigation tenders, so thought this might be "the place" for it...
Part I
Yesterday we made the trip north to Grand Haven to visit the 4 CG Cutters in town for the Coast Guard Festival. Even though it was very warm (read hot), the day was beautiful, the crowds weren't too bad, and we were able to find a parking place about 3 blocks uphill from the ships. After a quick visit to the CG Exchange (Heather had to purchase another shirt), we headed off to visit the ships. Our timing was good, as visitation was to be from 1 to 4, and we arrived just after 1.
Three of the ships were moored at the pier at Escanaba Park, named in honor of the
USCGC Escanaba (WPG-77), Grand Haven's “home town” cutter. The
Escanaba was on convoy duty in the North Atlantic, when early in the morning hours of June 13, 1943, she was torpedoed and sank within minutes. Only 2 crew members survived; 101 lives were lost. The citizens of Grand Haven rallied and raised a million dollars in war bonds to replace the cutter the following year. The most recent
Escanaba (a 270' Famous class cutter) was commissioned in Grand Haven during the 1987 festival. Each year during the festival, a memorial service is held to honor the crew of the
Escanaba and all members of the Coast Guard who have given their lives in the line of duty.
Our first stop of the day was the
USCGC Sundew (WLB 404), homeported in Duluth MN. This 180' ship is a sea going buoy tender. Built in Duluth in 1944, she has been back in Duluth since 1980.
Sundew is the most powerful 180' buoy tender in service, which helps with her ice breaking chores. The crew consists of 8 officers and 44 enlisted. On the
Sundew, we met a CGA Cadet who was aboard for his summer cruise. Interestingly, he mentioned that the skipper is a female. The ships major responsibility is maintaining Aids to Navigation on Lake Superior, adding many other assorted duties when needed.
An interesting piece of equipment found on more than one of the cutters.
Next up was the
USCGC Buckthorn (WLI 642) , an inland buoy tender. She is an inland tender due to her shallow draft, which allows her to service aids in water that is more shallow. The same shallow draft also demands that she operate in sheltered waters. Built in Mobile AL,
Buckthorn is the only ship in its class, and was commissioned in 1964. This 100' cutter has a crew of 18 and is commanded by a Chief Warrant Officer. She is homeported in Sault Ste. Marie. Her primary responsibility is Aids to Navigation on the St. Mary's River, including a number of Canadian buoys serviced as part of an international agreement.
When commissioned in 1944, the
USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB 83) was the most powerful icebreaker in the world. She remains the largest USCG domestic ice breakers. 290' long, she has a crew of 8 officers and 67 enlisted. She was constructed at Toledo OH, and now calls Cheboygan MI her homeport. One thing very interesting about the
Mackinaw is her bow propeller. This extra prop “draws water from below the ice ahead – weakening it and letting it sag under its own weight, and then it sends water streaming back along both sides of the hull reducing ice friction”. The Mackinaw is also sporting it's newer red paint job – makes her more noticeable when out breaking ice.
The last of the cutters we visited as the
USGCC Bristol Bay (WTGB 102) along with (CGB 12001) . This cutter is an ice breaking tug, with an attached barge – a very interesting combination. The two operate together, but the barge is capable of operating on its own.
Bristol Bay has a crew of 3 officers, 14 enlisted, while the barge has an additional officer and 14 enlisted. The cutter is 140' overall, and is based at Detroit. Her area of operation is western Lake Erie as well as the Detroit / St. Clair River system to the south end of Lake Huron. I give
Bristol Bay the top award for presenting her mission with information posted around the ship and with various displays. She is the newest of the cutters here, having been commissioned in Detroit in 1979 (though she was built in Tacoma WA). She was designed by CG engineers to “continuously break at least 20” of hard, fresh water ice”.
Dave
Part II in next post - # of pics exceeded # allowed - oops. . .
