White-class buoy tender

The White-class buoy tender is a class of buoy tenders of the United States Coast Guard. Eight ships of the YF-257-class lighter were transferred from the United States Navy and were in commission from 1947 until 2002.[1]

USCGC White Bush
Class overview
NameWhite class
Builders
Operators
Preceded byEagle class
Succeeded byCasco class
Built1944-1945
In commission1947-2002
Planned8
Completed8
Lost1
Retired7
General characteristics
TypeBuoy tender
Displacement600 t (591 long tons)
Length132 ft 10 in (40.49 m)
Beam30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Draft8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)
Range
  • 2,450 nmi (4,540 km; 2,820 mi) at 10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph)
  • 2,830 nmi (5,240 km; 3,260 mi) at 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph)
Complement1 warrant, 20 crewmen (1947)

Design

edit

According to her Ship's Characteristics Card dated August 30, 1965, the White-class buoy tenders were 132 feet 10 inches in overall length; 132 feet in length between perpendiculars; 30 feet 9.75 inches in extreme beam; 15 feet 8 inches in depth of hold; 6 feet 2 inches in draft forward fully loaded; and 5 feet in draft forward with a light load. Their one mast was 48 feet tall. The vessel displaced 600 tons and had a maximum speed of 9.2 knots (17.0 km/h; 10.6 mph) fully loaded. Their hulls, superstructure, decks, bulkheads, and frames were constructed of steel.  Auxiliary boats in 1965 included a fiberglass outboard and three seven-man inflatable lifeboats.  In 1965, they had original diesel engines built by Union Diesel Engine Company, Oakland, California, with two propellers, 300 horsepower (220 kW) each, and two auxiliary diesel generators.[2][3]

They underwent a major renovation at the United States Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Baltimore, Maryland during the 1960s and 70s. These modifications included updated equipment to improve her AtoN capabilities. Before decommissioning, White Pine's length was 133 feet; beam, 31 feet; and draft, 8 feet. Her displacement tonnage was listed at 606 gross tons and her mast height as 37.5 feet. She had a lifting capacity of 20,000 pounds, using two hydraulic pumps. She had twin Caterpillar diesel engines, 375 horsepower each, twin propellers, and Detroit Diesel auxiliary generators. Cruising capacity was 10 knots. Her maximum time out to sea was twenty days at 8 knots. Her complement of officers and crew was 26.[3]

Ships in the class

edit
White-class buoy tender
Hull no. Name Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Fate
WAGL-540 / WLM-540 White Sumac Niagara Shipbuilding Co. 1942 1943 19 September 1947 1 August 2002 Transferred to Dominican Republic as Capotillo (BA-2), 2002
WAGL-541 / WLM-541 White Alder 1942 1943 19 September 1947 - Sank after collision on 7 December 1968
WAGL-542 / WLM-542 White Bush Basalt Rock Co. 1943 1944 11 August 1947 16 September 1985 Returned to US Navy as USS White Bush (IX-542), 1985
WAGL-543 / WLM-543 White Holly 3 August 1943 8 April 1944 1 December 1947 30 September 1998 Sold to merchant service as MV White Holly, 1999
WAGL-544 / WLM-544 White Sage Erie Concrete & Steel Supply Co. 29 March 1943 19 June 1943 9 August 1947 7 June 1996 Donated to merchant service, 1999
WAGL-545 / WLM-545 White Heath 4 June 1943 21 July 1943 9 August 1947 31 March 1998 Transferred to Tunisia as Turgueness (A-805), 1998
WAGL-546 / WLM-546 White Lupine 1943 1943 5 September 1947 27 February 1998 Transferred to Tunisia as Tabarka (A-804), 1998
WAGL-547 / WLM-547 White Pine 12 June 1943 28 August 1943 3 August 1948 29 June 1999 Transferred to Dominican Republic as Tortuguero (BA-1), 29 June 1999

References

edit
  • This article contains public domain text from the United States Coast Guard Historian’s Office website.
  • http://www.uscg.mil/history/WEBCUTTERS/NPS_133_HAER_Report.pdf
  • Cutter History File. USCG Historian's Office, USCG HQ, Washington, D.C.
  • Robert Scheina. U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft, 1946–1990. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990.
  • U. S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. U.S. Coast Guard 133-foot (41 m) Buoy Tenders. HAER booklet. Washington, DC: National Park Service, February, 2004. [ HAER no. DC-57; Todd Croteau, HAER Industrial Archeologist (project leader); Jet Low, HAER Photographer; Mark Porter, NCSHPO Consultant (historian), and Candace Clifford, booklet design. ]
  1. ^ "U.S. COAST GUARD 133-FOOT BUOY TENDERS" (PDF). Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. February 2004.
  2. ^ L. Scheina, Robert (1990). U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft 1946- 1990. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
  3. ^ a b Detail specifications for building freight and ammunition lighters (self-propelled) YFs 335-341, 415-421, 443-454 for the United States Navy. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1943.