USCGC Kukui (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.

For other ships with the same name, see USCGC Kukui.

USCGC Kukui (WLB-203)
History
United States
Name: USCGC Kukui (WLB-203)
Namesake: The state tree of Hawaii
Operator: United States Coast Guard
Builder: Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin, U.S.[1]
Launched: 3 May 1997
Homeport: Sitka, Alaska, U.S.
Identification:
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Juniper-class sea going buoy tender[2]
Displacement: 2,000 tons (full load)
Length: 225 ft (69 m)
Beam: 46 ft (14 m)
Draft: 13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion: 2 x 3,100 hp Caterpillar diesel engines
Speed: 16 knots
Armament: 2 x .50 caliber heavy machine guns

Construction and characteristics

USCGC Kukui was built by the Marinette Marine Corporation in Wisconsin and launched on 3 May 1997.[1] She has a length of 225 ft (69 m), a beam of 46 ft (14 m), and a draft of 13 ft (4.0 m). Kukui is propelled by two Caterpillar 3608 diesel engines rated at 3,100 horsepower, and has a top speed of 16 knots.[2] She has a single controllable-pitch propeller, which along with bow and stern thrusters allow the ship to be maneuvered to set buoys close offshore and in restricted waters. A dynamic global positioning system coupled with machinery plant controls and a chart display and information system allow station-keeping of the ship within a five-meter accuracy of the planned position without human intervention.[2] Kukui is also equipped with an oil-skimming system known as the Spilled Oil Recovery System (SORS) which is used in her mission of maritime environmental protection. The cutter has a 2,875 square foot buoy deck area with a crane used for servicing large ocean buoys.[2]

Mission

USCGC Kukui is a seagoing buoy tender with her primary mission being the servicing of aids-to navigation buoys in her area of responsibility (AOR) within the Seventeenth Coast Guard District. Kukui's other missions include maritime law enforcement, homeland security, ensuring the security of ports and waterways, maritime environmental response, as well as search and rescue duties. She is home-ported in Sitka, Alaska. Her primary area of responsibility is the inland and coastal waters of southeastern Alaska.

History

USCGC Kukui is named after the official state tree of Hawaii and is the third ship to bear the name. USCGC Kukui (WAK-186) was the second ship to bear the name.[1]

See also

Notes
Citations
  1. "CGC KUKUI's History", U.S. Coast Guard
  2. "225-foot Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB)", Cutters, Craft & U.S. Coast Guard-Manned Army & Navy Vessels, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
References
  • "225-foot Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB)". Cutters, Craft & U.S. Coast Guard-Manned Army & Navy Vessels. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  • "CGC KUKUI's History". U.S. Coast Guard. Retrieved 2 April 2014.

Further reading
  • Tlapa, Gregory (Spring 2011). "The "Black Hull" Fleet" (pdf). Proceedings. U.S. Coast Guard. pp. 10–15. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
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