USCGC Woodrush

Last updated

Woodrush.jpg
USCGS Woodrush (WLB-407)
History
Flag of the United States Coast Guard.svgUnited States
NameWoodrush.
Namesake Woodrush
BuilderZenith Dredge Company, Duluth, Minnesota.
Cost$926,156.00 USD.
Laid down4 February 1944.
Launched28 April 1944.
Commissioned22 September 1944.
Decommissioned2 March 2001, sold to Republic of Ghana.
In service1944.
Out of service2001.
RefitJuly 1978 to March 1980 at CGY, Curtis Bay, Maryland.
HomeportDuluth, Minnesota (1944). Sitka, Alaska (1980).
Nickname(s)Woodie
FateSold to Ghana Navy.
Naval Ensign of Ghana.svgGhana
NameAnzone
Commissioned2001
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeIris or C class 180-foot buoy tender.
TypeCoast Guard, Auxiliary, General, Lighthouse (tender) WAGL. Coast Guard, Large, Buoy (tender) WLB.
Length180 ft (55 m)
Beam37 ft (11 m)
Draft12 ft (3.7 m) 6 inches (150 mm).
Ice classNotched forefoot, ice-belt at waterline, reinforced bow and stern.
Propulsion2 Cooper-Bessemer Diesel Engines; 1,200 SHP; single screw (1944).
Speed13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).
Range8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).
EnduranceMax: 13.5 knots, 10,000-mile range (1962) Economic: 10.5 knots, 13,000-mile range (1962).
CapacityDiesel Oil: 43,000 gallons. Potable Water: 12,500 gallons.
Complement47 (1962).
Sensors and
processing systems		Electronics: Radar SL-1. Sonar QCU.
ArmamentWartime: 20mm guns, 1 × 3 inch gun, depth charges, M2 Browning machine guns and small arms. Peacetime: M2 Browning machine guns, M60 machine guns, and small arms.
NotesShip USCG callsign was NODZ. Ship was equipped with a 20-ton electric boom.

USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407) was a buoy tender that performed general aids-to-navigation (ATON), search and rescue (SAR), and icebreaking duties for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) from 1944 to 2001 from home ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Sitka, Alaska. She responded from Duluth at full speed through a gale and high seas to the scene of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinking in 1975. In 1980, she took part in a rescue rated in the top 10 USCG rescues when she helped to save the passengers and crew of the cruise ship Prinsendam after it caught fire in position 57°38"N 140° 25"W [1] then while being towed sank off Graham Island, British Columbia. She was one of the first vessels to respond to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. She was decommissioned on 2 March 2001 and sold to the Republic of Ghana to serve in the Ghana Navy.

Contents

Construction and design

Woodrush was built by the Zenith Dredge Company in Duluth, Minnesota as a 180 feet (55 m), Iris or C-Class tender. Her keel was laid on 4 February 1944, and she was launched on 28 April 1944. Like the "A" and "B" class tenders in the 180 feet (55 m) class, she was constructed of welded steel with a notched forefoot, ice-belt at the waterline, a reinforced bow for icebreaking capabilities. The superstructure was extended to the ship's sides for increased interior volume above the main deck. Her finer lines in the bow and stern and deeper draft were designed to increase seaworthiness. The utilitarian design allowed the vessel to serve as a search and rescue (SAR) or naval platform. Twin diesel generators powered an electric motor that turned a single propeller. As a C-Class tender, Woodrush carried more fuel than the "A" and "B" Class tenders. She was "fitted with power vangs that attached to the bridge wings and manipulated the cargo boom" that were used on "B" and "C" tenders. [2]

Commissioning

Woodrush was commissioned on 22 September 1944 under the command of LCDR F. D. Hagaman, USCG. In keeping with the Lighthouse Service practice of naming tenders after foliage, she was named after the Woodrush plant. She was assigned general aids to navigation (ATON) and icebreaking duties with Duluth, Minnesota as her home port. [2]

History

Woodrush performed many duties and missions in the Duluth, Minnesota district until 31 July 1978. [2] She was part of the icebreaking fleet of buoy tenders that kept the shipping lanes open on the Great Lakes a month longer in the winter and months earlier in the spring. This was considered key to the economy of the Great Lakes region. A former commanding officer of Woodrush reported that he deliberately grounded her many times during her buoy tending duties because that was the only way some of the buoys could be set. [3]

The Woodrush conducted many rescues during her long U.S. Coast Guard career. She rescued three lightkeepers in the early 1960s who were stranded for three days after an explosion at the remote Stannard Rock Light in Lake Superior. [4]

As the only available U.S. Coast Guard cutter available to respond to the Fitzgerald sinking on 10 November 1975, Woodrush was ordered from Duluth at "full speed" through a "gale and high seas" and arrived on scene within 24 hours. [5] [6] She combed the area along with the SS William Clay Ford and the SS Arthur M. Anderson until daybreak, when debris and oil were finally located. The following summer, Woodrush served as a support vessel for the United States Navy ROV, the CURV, that was used to survey the Fitzgerald wreck. [7]

A few years later, Woodrush was called out to help break ice for some freighters near the Soo Locks. Woodrush eventually got trapped in the ice, and was floated by the ice until it managed to get free, passing right over the Fitzgerald wreck site. [8]

From 31 July 1978 to 31 March 1980, Woodrush underwent a major renovation at U.S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay, Maryland. She received new diesel engines, a thorough overhaul of her main electrical motor and its control systems, installation of new electrical wiring and switchboards, new water piping and sewage handling systems, and a bow thruster to improve her maneuverability. The crew's living spaces were upgraded and the furnishings were modernized. [3]

On 3 June 1980, Woodrush replaced USCGC Clover (WLB-292) in Sitka, Alaska where she home ported for the rest of her U.S. Coast Guard career performing aids to navigation (ATON), icebreaking, and search and rescue (SAR) duties.

In 1980, Woodrush helped rescue the passengers and crew from the cruise ship MS Prinsendam that caught fire and sank off Graham Island, British Columbia. The Prinsendam rescue is rated by the U.S. Coast Guard as one of the ten most successful rescues because the nearest airstrip was 130 miles (210 km) from the disaster, operations were coordinated with other vessels in the area and Canadian helicopters, and the crew and 520 passengers were rescued without loss of life or serious injury. [9]

In 1993, she went to the assistance of the grounded cruise ship, the MV Yorktown Clipper. [2]

After serving the U.S. Coast Guard for 57 years, Woodrush was decommissioned on 2 March 2001 and sold to the Republic of Ghana to serve in Ghana Navy as GNS Anzone P30. [2] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USCG seagoing buoy tender</span> Type of United States Coast Guard Cutter

The USCG seagoing buoy tender is a type of United States Coast Guard Cutter used to service aids to navigation throughout the waters of the United States and wherever American shipping interests require. The U.S. Coast Guard has maintained a fleet of seagoing buoy tenders dating back to its origins in the U.S. Lighthouse Service (USLHS). These ships originally were designated with the hull classification symbol WAGL, but in 1965 the designation was changed to WLB, which is still used today.

USCGC <i>Sundew</i>

USCGC Sundew (WLB-404) was a 180-foot (55 m) sea going buoy tender (WLB). An Iris, or C-class tender, it was built by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Sundew's preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth for the U.S. Coast Guard. On 29 November 1943 the keel was laid. It was launched on 8 February 1944 and commissioned on 24 August 1944. The original cost for the hull and machinery was $861,589.

USCGC <i>Alder</i> (WLB-216) US Coast Guard Juniper-class seagoing buoy tender

USCGC Alder (WLB-216) is the final Juniper-class, 225-foot (69 m) seagoing buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard.

USCGC <i>Mesquite</i> Seagoing buoy tender scuttled in Lake Superior

USCGC Mesquite (WAGL/WLB-305) was the lead ship in the Mesquite class of seagoing buoy tenders operated by the United States Coast Guard. She served in the Pacific during World War II, and spent the rest of her Coast Guard career in the Great Lakes. She ran aground and was wrecked in December 1989 off the Keweenaw Peninsula in Lake Superior. She was scuttled nearby as a recreational diving attraction.

USCGC <i>Cactus</i>

USCGC Cactus (WLB-270) is a 180 feet (55 m) seagoing buoy tender (WLB). A Cactus-class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Cactus's preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth. On 31 March 1941 the keel was laid, she was launched on 25 November 1941 and commissioned on 1 September 1942. The original cost for the hull and machinery was $782,381.

USCGC <i>Spar</i> (WLB-206)

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 <i>Maple</i>

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.

USCGC <i>Sassafras</i> C-class buoy tender, 1943-2003 (now NNS Obula)

Sassafras is a C-Class, 180 ft, seagoing buoy tender constructed for the USCG by Marine Iron & Shipbuilding Corp. of Duluth, Minnesota. Sassafras was one of 39 tenders commissioned for duties that would include aids-to-navigation, ice breaking, search-and-rescue, fire fighting, law enforcement, providing fuel and potable water, and assistance to the National Oceanographic and Seismographic Survey.

USCGC <i>Oak</i>

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 <i>Bittersweet</i> 1943 ship

USCGC Bittersweet was a C or Iris-class 180-foot buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard.

USCGC <i>Sycamore</i> (WLB-209)

USCGC Sycamore (WLB-209) is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender, the second of her name and the ninth of the Juniper-class. She is now home-ported in Newport, Rhode Island, following a one year long Midlife Maintenance Availability (MMA) in Baltimore, Maryland. She was originally home-ported in Cordova, Alaska. Sycamore primarily tends to aids-to-navigation (ATON) in Martha's Vineyard, the Long Island Sound, Hudson River, and New York City Harbor and entrances; however she is also responsible for maintenance support of National Data Buoy Center's offshore weather buoys. In addition to her primary ATON role, Sycamore also performs other duties, such as, marine environmental protection, maritime law enforcement, domestic icebreaking, search and rescue, and homeland security missions.

USCGC Clover WAGL/WLB/WMEC-292, a Cactus (A) Class buoy tender was built by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding, Duluth, Minnesota. Her keel was laid 3 December 1941, and she was launched 25 April 1942. She was commissioned on 8 November 1942 in the United States Coast Guard as the United States Coast Guard Cutter Clover. She was built as a WAGL, redesignated a WLB in 1965, and again redesignated a WMEC in 1979.

USCGC Tupelo WAGL/WLB-303, was a Cactus (A) Class 180-foot buoy tender vessel built by Zenith Dredge Company of Duluth, Minnesota. Her keel was laid 15 August 1942, launched 28 November 1942 and commissioned on 30 August 1943. She was built as a WAGL and redesignated a WLB in 1965.

USCGC <i>Willow</i> (WLB-202)

The USCGC Willow (WLB-202) is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender, the third of her name and the second of the Juniper-class. She is home-ported in Charleston, South Carolina, where she replaced her sister ship USCGC Oak in servicing 257 aids to navigation in District 7. Willow's area of operations stretches from South Carolina down to Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, Cuba, U.S. Virgin Islands and Haiti. In addition to her primary aids-to-navigation (ATON) role, Willow also performs other duties, such as maritime border security, marine environmental protection, maritime law enforcement, and search and rescue. The Willow transitioned from her former home port of Newport, RI in 2017 after spending over a year in a Baltimore dry dock being refitted and modernized.

USCGC <i>Kukui</i> (WLB-203)

USCGC Kukui (WLB-203) is the third cutter in the Juniper-class 225 ft (69 m) of seagoing buoy tenders and is the third ship to bear the name. She is under the operational control of the Commander of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District and is home-ported in Sitka, Alaska. Her primary area of responsibility is the inland and coastal waters of southeastern Alaska. Kukui conducts heavy lift aids-to-navigation operations, and law enforcement, homeland security, environmental pollution response, and search and rescue as directed.

USCGC <i>Blackhaw</i>

The USCGC Blackhaw (WLB-390) was a Iris-class buoy tender belonging to the United States Coast Guard launched on 18 June 1943 and commissioned on 17 February 1944.

USCGC <i>Salvia</i> Iris-class buoy tender

USCGC Salvia (WLB-400) was a United States Coast Guard Iris-class buoy tender in commission from 1944 to 1991. She operated in the Great Lakes and along the United States Gulf Coast during her career. Sold and renamed Brian Davis in 2020 for use as a memorial vessel, she was scuttled as an artificial reef in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coast Guard District 9</span> United States Coast Guard district

District 9 is a United States Coast Guard district located at the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building in Cleveland, Ohio. District 9 is responsible for all Coast Guard operations on the five Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and surrounding states accumulating 6,700 miles of shoreline and 1,500 miles of international shoreline with Canada.

USCGC <i>Sweetbrier</i>

The USCGC Sweetbrier (WAGL-405/WLB-405) was an Iris-class 180-foot seagoing buoy tender operated by the United States Coast Guard. She served in the Pacific during World War II. Her entire post-war career with the Coast Guard was spent in Alaska. After she was decommissioned in 2001, she was transferred to the Ghana Navy and renamed Bonsu. She is still active.

References

  1. ↑ Ring Jr., David J. (4 October 1980). "Distress Log "Williamsburgh" of SOS from ms Prinsendam". Website of David J. Ring Jr., SOS of ms Prinsendam. David J. Ring, Jr. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ashmore, Melissa M. "USCG Woodrush, 1944" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  3. 1 2 "USCG's 180-foot Seagoing Buoy Tender". USMILNET. 28 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  4. ↑ De Wire, Elinor (1995). Guardians of the Lights: Stories of U.S. Lighthouse Keepers. Pineapple Press. p. 141. ISBN   978-1-56164-077-5 . Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  5. ↑ Wolff, Julius F. (1979). "Lake Superior Shipwrecks", p. 221. Lake Superior Marine Museum Association, Inc., Duluth, Minnesota. ISBN   0-932212-18-8 .
  6. ↑ Stonehouse, Frederick (2006, 7th Ed.). "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", pp. 46–48, Avery Color Studios, Inc., Gwinn, Michigan. ISBN   1-892384-33-7
  7. ↑ Hemming, Robert (1981). "The Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald", pp. 195–204. Thunder Bay Press, US. ISBN   1-882376-33-1
  8. ↑ Interview with Woodrush skipper Captain Jimmie Hobaugh, 12 September 1994.
  9. ↑ "Top Ten Coast Guard Rescues". Coast Guard News. 31 July 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "BuoyJumper: The U.S. Coast Guard's Seagoing Buoy tender fleet of World War II". USMILNET. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.