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 contract for the lead ship and options for thirteen more.[3] The Coast Guard exercised options for the final four ships, including Maria Bray, in September 1997.[4] The ship was launched on 28 August 1999 into the Menominee River. She was christened by Susan Green, wife of U.S Representative Mark Green, who also attended the launch.[5]Maria Bray is the twelfth 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]Maria Braydisplaces 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 Maria Bray. 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]
She has a 500 horsepower bow thruster. The Z-drives and bow thruster can be linked in a Dynamic Positioning System. This gives Maria Bray 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 launched, her complement was 18, commanded by a chief warrant officer.[14] She currently has a crew of 24.
Lighthouse keeper Maria Bray
Maria Bray, 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. Maria Bray is capable of breaking flat, 9-inch thick ice at 3 knots.[12]
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.[15] The boat is 18 feet (5.5m) long and are equipped with a Mercury Marine inboard/outboard diesel engine.[16]
Maria Bray replaced USCGC Laurel, which was decommissioned in December 1999.[17]
The ship's namesake is Maria Bray. Her husband, Alexander Bray, was the principal keeper of the two Thatcher Island lighthouses at Cape Ann, Massachusetts. On 21 December 1864 one of the two assistant keepers fell ill with a fever. Mr. Bray and the other assistant loaded their ailing colleague into a boat and sailed to the mainland for a doctor, expecting that they would make a quick return. Instead, gale winds accompanied by blowing snow made it impossible for the keepers to return. Maria, assisted by her nephew, was able to keep both lights burning through the next three days, carrying gallons of lantern fuel through the winds and snow drifts and up the 150 steps in each tower. Keeper Bray finally made it home on Christmas Eve to relieve his wife.[18]
Operational history
The Coast Guard took ownership of Maria Bray on 6 April 2000, and placed her "in commission, special" status.[19] To reach her new home port she sailed from Lake Michigan through the Great Lakes, and out into the Atlantic. She paused off the Thatcher Island lights, once maintained by her namesake, for a wreath-laying ceremony with members of the Thatcher Island Association which operates them today.[20] The ship was placed in full commission at a ceremony at Coast Guard Station Mayport on 26 July 2000.[21]
Maria Bray'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.
In August 2017 Maria Bray deployed to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the recovery from Hurricane Harvey. The ship helped repair damaged buoys and to relocate those had had been moved from their charted positions large waves so that maritime commerce could safely recommence.[22]
The bulk of Maria Bray'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
Maria Bray lands passengers rescued from Escapade in July 2014
USCGC Eagle lost its 3,800 pounds (1,700kg) anchor in the St. Johns River as it departed the "Sail Jacksonville" festival in June 2004. The anchor was located by divers and Maria Bray was dispatched to retrieve it from the bottom of the river in October 2004.[23]
On 16 July 2014 the casino ship Escapade went aground off Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia with 123 people aboard. Maria Bray was dispatched to the scene and took aboard dozens of passengers and crew to return them to shore.[24]
Maria Bray and other Coast Guard units searched for a paddleboarder lost off the coast of St Lucie County, Florida in July 2015. At roughly the same time, the ship also searched for two teenaged boys whose capsized fishing boat was found offshore in the same area. Both searches were unsuccessful.[25][26][27]
Environmental Protection
In March 2008, Maria Bray exercised with the Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System used for oil spill recovery.[28]
In July 2018, the ship placed concrete reef balls on the sea floor off the northeast coast of Florida to create reef habitat for sea life.[29]
Security
In September 2012 Maria Bray was diverted from her buoy tending work to assist other Coast Guard units in Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations. A total of 75 migrants were taken aboard the ship for eventual repatriation to Cuba.[1]
The Coast Guard provides maritime security for launches from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Maria Bray has been dispatched on this mission.[30][31]
Public engagement
The Coast Guard has offered tours aboard Maria Bray on several occasions. These include:
At Green Bay, Wisconsin shortly after launch in April 2000[32]
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.
USCGC Maple (WLB-207) is a Juniper-class seagoing buoy tender operated by the United States Coast Guard. She was based at Sitka, Alaska for 16 years and is currently homeported at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Her primary mission is maintaining aids to navigation, but she also supports search and rescue, law enforcement, oil spill response, and other Coast Guard missions.
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.
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is an American shipbuilding firm in Marinette, Wisconsin. Marinette Marine was a subsidiary of Manitowoc Marine Group of Wisconsin from 2000 to 2009, when it was sold to Fincantieri Marine Group.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oak is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender; the second of her name and the eleventh of the Juniper class. Home ported in Newport, Rhode Island the "Maine Responder" maintains Aids to Navigation (ATON) along the rugged New England coastline, promoting economic security through navigation safety of the Marine Transportation System. A multi-mission platform, the cutter can also support search & rescue, domestic icebreaking, living marine resources maritime law enforcement, environmental protection, national defense and homeland security missions. The cutter occasionally assists with maintenance support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center's offshore weather buoys.
USCGC Fir (WLB-213) is a Juniper-class cutter of the United States Coast Guard. USCGC Fir is under the Operational Control (OPCON) of the Commander of the Thirteenth Coast Guard District and is homeported in Astoria, Oregon. Fir's primary area of responsibility is the coastal waters, river bars and high seas of the Washingtonian and Oregonian coasts. USCGC Fir conducts heavy lift aids to navigation operations, law enforcement and other missions as directed.
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 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 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 Frank Drew (WLM-557) is a Keeper-class coastal buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Launched in 1998, she is home-ported in Portsmouth, Virginia. Her primary mission is maintaining over 300 aids to navigation in lower Chesapeake Bay, the rivers that flow into it, and a potion of the North Carolina Coast. 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 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 boarder 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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