On 22 June 1993 the Coast Guard awarded the contract for the Keeper-class vessels to Marinette Marine Corporation in the form of a firm order for the lead ship and options for thirteen more.[2] The Coast Guard exercised options for the 5th through 10th ships of the class, including Frank Drew, in February 1997.[3] The ship was launched on 5 December 1998 into the Menominee River.[4] Several of the grandchildren of the ship's namesake, Frank Drew, attended the event.[5]Frank Drew is the seventh of the fourteen Keeper-class ships built.[6]
Her hull was built of welded steel plates. She is 175 feet (53m) long, with a beam of 36 feet (11m), and a full-load draft of 8 feet (2.4m).[7]Frank Drewdisplaces 850 long tons fully loaded.[8] Her gross register tonnage is 904, and her net register tonnage is 271.[9] The top of the mast is 58.75 feet (17.91m) above the waterline.[10]
Rather than building the ship from the keel up as a single unit, Marinette Marine used a modular fabrication approach. Eight large modules, or "hull blocks" were built separately and then welded together.[7]
Z-drives on a Keeper-class ship
The ship has two Caterpillar 3508 DITA (direct-injection, turbocharged, aftercooled) 8-cylinder Diesel engines which produce 1000 horsepower each. These drive two Ulstein Z-drives. Keeper-class ships were the first Coast Guard cutters equipped with Z-drives, which markedly improved their maneuverability.[11] The Z-drives have four-bladed propellers which are 57.1 inches (145cm) in diameter[10] and are equipped with Kort nozzles. They can be operated in "tiller mode" where the Z-drives turn in the same direction to steer the ship, or in "Z-conn mode" where the two Z-drives can turn in different directions to achieve specific maneuvering objectives. An implication of the Z-drives is that there is no reverse gear or rudder aboard Frank Drew. In order to back the ship, the Z-drives are turned 180 degrees which drives the ship stern-first even though the propellers are spinning in the same direction as they do when the ship is moving forward.[12] Her maximum speed is 12 knots.[11] Her tanks can hold 16,385 gallons of diesel fuel[10] which gives her an unrefueled range of 2,000 nautical miles at 10 knots.[13]
The engineering control center aboard Frank Drew
She has a 500-horsepower bow thruster. The Z-drives and bow thruster can be linked in a Dynamic Positioning System. This gives Frank Drew the ability to hold position in the water even in heavy currents, winds, and swells. This advanced capability is useful in bringing buoys aboard that can weigh more than 16,000 lbs.[8]
Electrical power aboard is provided by three Caterpillar 3406 DITA generators which produce 285 Kw each.[8] She also has a 210 Kw emergency generator, which is a Caterpillar 3406 DIT.[10]
The buoy deck has 1,335 square feet (124.0m2) of working area. A crane with a boom 42 feet (13m) long lifts buoys and their mooring anchors onto the deck. The crane can lift up to 20,000 pounds (9,100kg).[8]
The ships' fresh water tanks can hold 7,339 gallons. She has three ballast tanks that can be filled to maintain their trim, and tanks for oily waste water, sewage, gray water, new lubrication oil, and waste oil.[10]
Accommodations were designed for mixed gender crews from the start. Crew size and composition has varied over the years. When she was commissioned, Frank Drew had a complement of 18, commanded by a chief warrant officer.[14]
Lighthouse Keeper Frank Drew
Frank Drew, as all Keeper-class ships, has a strengthened "ice belt" along the waterline so that she can work on aids to navigation in ice-infested waters. Not only is the hull plating in the ice belt thicker than the rest of the hull, but framing members are closer together in areas that experience greater loads when working in ice. Higher grades of steel were used for hull plating in the ice belt to prevent cracking in cold temperatures. Her bow is sloped so that rather than smashing into ice, she rides up over it to break it with the weight of the ship. Frank Drew is capable of breaking flat, 9-inch thick ice at 3 knots.[12] Despite her relatively southern basing, the ship has been called upon for ice-breaking services in her area of operations.[15]
The ship carries a cutter boat on davits. She was originally equipped with a CB-M boat which was replaced in the mid-2010s with a CB-ATON-M boat. This was built by Metal Shark Aluminum Boats and was estimated to cost $210,000.[16] The boat is 18 feet (5.5m) long and are equipped with a Mercury Marine inboard/outboard diesel engine.[17]
The ship's namesake is lighthouse keeper Frank Drew. He had a life-long connection to the Green Island lighthouse in Green Bay, about five miles from the mouth of the Menominee River where the cutter named for him was launched. He was born there when his father, Samuel Drew, was lighthouse keeper. Frank became assistant keeper in 1903 and was promoted to keeper in 1909. He served in this position until his retirement in 1929. He is credited with saving the lives of more than thirty people during his tenure.[18]
The Coast Guard took ownership of Frank Drew on 17 June 1999, and place her "in commission, special" status. She began her trip to Portsmouth on 28 June 1999.[6] The trip took her from Lake Michigan through the Great Lakes and out into the Atlantic. She was placed in full commission at a ceremony at Nauticus in downtown Norfolk, Virginia on 5 April 2000.[14]
Frank Drew resetting buoys after Hurricane Florence
Frank Drew's buoy tending involves lifting them onto her deck where marine growth is scraped and pressure washed off, inspecting the buoy itself, and replacing lights, solar cells, and radar transponders. The mooring chain or synthetic cable is inspected and replaced as needed. The concrete block mooring anchor is also inspected. Aside from this routine maintenance, intense storms along the Atlantic coast create additional work for Frank Drew. For instance, Hurricane Florence displaced nearly 200 buoys in North Carolina, and the ship was one of the Coast Guard vessels which reset them in their proper locations.[20] Emergency maintenance is also required when accidents damage or sink buoys. In 2016, for instance, a buoy near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel was hit by a vessel under tow and disappeared. The channel was closed to deep-draft shipping until a team, including Frank Drew, could assess the situation.[21] Seasonal exchanges between large summer buoys and simpler buoys with ice-resistant hulls is also required on rivers prone to freezing.[22]
The bulk of Frank Drew's year is spent at sea tending its buoys, or in port maintaining the ship. She has been asked to perform other missions, as described below.
Search and rescue
Frank Drew was dispatched to the 220-foot barge Dick Z near Lynnhaven Inlet in October 2010. The barge had taken on water and was almost completely sunk.[23] In May 2018, Frank Drew was dispatched to search for a man whose boat capsized in the York River near Williamsburg.[24]
Security
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Frank Drew was dispatched to patrol sensitive areas in the Washington, D.C. area.[25] In 2014 Frank Drew participated in training firefighters using simulated ship fires at the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Hampton Roads.[26]
Public engagement
The Coast Guard has offered tours aboard Frank Drew on several occasions. These included stops during the ship's 1999 transit from Marinette to its new homeport in Portsmouth, in Green Bay, Wisconsin,[27] and Charlevoix, Michigan[28]
Related Research Articles
The Keeper class of coastal buoy tenders consists of fourteen ships built for and operated by the United States Coast Guard. The ships were launched between 1995 and 1999 and all remain in active service. Their primary mission is to maintain thousands of aids to navigation, both buoys and land-based. Their secondary missions include marine environmental protection, search and rescue, law enforcement, and light ice-breaking.
USCGC Spar (WLB-206) is a United States Coast Guard Juniper-class seagoing buoy tender home-ported in Duluth, Minnesota. The ship maintains aids to navigation in the Twin Ports and Great Lakes.
United States Coast Guard Cutter is the term used by the U.S. Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. They are 65 feet (19.8 m) or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard. They carry the ship prefix USCGC.
Frank Albert Drew (1864–1931) was a lighthouse keeper. He was Assistant Keeper Pilot Island Light from 1899 to 1903, First Assistant Keeper, Green Island Light-Station from 1903 to 1909, and Keeper of Green Island Light-Station from 1904 to 1929.
USCGC Juniper (WLB-201) is the lead ship of the U.S. Coast Guard's current class of seagoing buoy tenders. She is outfitted with some of the most advanced technological and navigational capabilities currently available.
USCGC Elm (WLB-204) is a U.S. Coast Guard Juniper-class seagoing buoy tender home-ported in Astoria, Oregon. She is responsible for maintaining aids to navigation on the coasts of Oregon and Washington, including the Columbia River.
USCGC Hollyhock (WLB-214) is a 225-foot (69 m) Juniper-class cutter of the United States Coast Guard.
USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563) is a United States Coast Guard Keeper-class cutter based at Naval Station Everett in Everett, WA. Henry Blake's primary mission is the maintenance of 80 lighted, 39 unlighted, and 65 shore-based aids to navigation in the Puget Sound area and along the coast of Washington. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, search and rescue, and homeland security. Henry Blake is assigned to the Thirteenth Coast Guard District.
USCGS Katherine Walker (WLM-552) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1996, she has spent her entire career homeported at Bayonne, New Jersey. Her primary mission is to maintain 335 aids to navigation in New York Harbor, Long Island Sound, and surrounding waters. She is assigned to the First Coast Guard District.
USCGC Ida Lewis (WLM-551) is the lead ship of the United States Coast Guard Keeper-class of Coastal Buoy Tenders. Launched in 1995, she has spent her entire career maintaining navigational aids near her homeport of Newport, Rhode Island. Ida Lewis is assigned to the First Coast Guard District.
USCGC Anthony Petit (WLM-558) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1999, she has served her entire career maintaining navigational aids in Southeast Alaska. She is assigned to the Seventeenth Coast Guard District.
USCGC Terrapin (WPB-87366) is a United States Coast Guard ship of the Marine Protector class. She is assigned to Coast Guard District 13 and is home-ported at Bellingham, Washington. Her main areas of responsibility are the San Juan Islands, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound. Her missions include search and rescue, law enforcement, and homeland security.
USCGC Marcus Hanna (WLM-554) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1997, she is home-ported in South Portland, Maine. Her primary mission is maintaining 376 aids to navigation from Boston to St. John's Bay, Maine. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, light icebreaking, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to the First Coast Guard District.
USCGC Abbie Burgess (WLM-553) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1997, she is home-ported in Rockland, Maine. Her primary mission is maintaining 366 aids to navigation from Boothbay Harbor, Maine to the Canadian border. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, light icebreaking, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to the First Coast Guard District.
USCGC James Rankin (WLM-555) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1998, she is home-ported at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland. Her primary mission is maintaining 361 aids to navigation in Upper Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries including the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Potomac River, and the Annapolis area. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, light icebreaking, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to the Fifth Coast Guard District.
USCGC George Cobb (WLM-564) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1999, she is home-ported in San Pedro, California. Her primary mission is maintaining over 178 floating aids to navigation on the California coast from San Francisco to San Diego. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to the Eleventh Coast Guard District.
USCGC William Tate (WLM-560) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1999, she is home-ported in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her primary mission is maintaining over 260 aids to navigation on the Delaware River, in Delaware Bay and in nearby waterways. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to the Fifth Coast Guard District.
USCGC Maria Bray (WLM-562) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1999, she is home-ported in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Her primary mission is maintaining over 300 aids to navigation from Georgetown, South Carolina to Fort Pierce, Florida. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to Sector Jacksonville of the Seventh Coast Guard District.
USCGC Harry Claiborne (WLM-561) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1999, she is home-ported in Galveston, Texas. Her primary mission is maintaining aids to navigation between the Mexican border and the mouth of the Mississippi River. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to the Eighth Coast Guard District.
USCGC Barbara Mabrity (WLM-559) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1999, she is home-ported in Mobile, Alabama. Her primary mission is maintaining aids to navigation from western Florida to the Mississippi River. Secondary missions include marine environmental protection, search and rescue, and security. She is assigned to the Eighth Coast Guard District.
↑ Polmar, Norman (1997). Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet (16thed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p.521. ISBN1-55750-686-8.
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