USCGC ''Mackinaw'' (WLBB-30) is a multi-purpose vessel with a primary mission as a heavy

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

specifically built for operations on the North American

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

for the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

. IMO number: 9271054. Her larger precursor, the USCGC ''Mackinaw'' (WAGB-83), IMO number 6119534, had a 62-year career on the same waters prior to being decommissioned on June 10, 2006, and turned into a museum ship docked in

Mackinaw City, Michigan Mackinaw City ( ) is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 846 at the 2010 census, the population increases during summertime, including an influx of tourists and seasonal workers who serve ...

. Among the missions the current ''Mackinaw'' is capable of and tasked with as needed is buoy tending, law enforcement and interdiction, search and rescue, and environmental remediation response.

Background

''Mackinaw'' was delivered to the Coast Guard on November 18, 2005 and commissioned on June 10, 2006. In addition to her ice-breaking duties, the ''Mackinaw'' also serves as an Aids-to-Navigation ship, since she is able to perform the same duties as the Seagoing Buoy Tenders (WLB) of the Coast Guard fleet. Further, she can conduct law enforcement and search-and-rescue missions and can deploy an oil-skimming system to respond to oil-spill situations and environmental response.

Mechanical aspects

Main Control Console on USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30)

One of the ''Mackinaws unique features in the US Coast Guard fleet is the use of two

Azipod Azipod is a trademark azimuth thruster pod design, a marine propulsion unit consisting of a fixed pitch propeller mounted on a steerable gondola ("pod") containing the electric motor driving the propeller, allowing ships to be more maneuverabl ...

units, ABB's brand of electric

azimuth thruster An azimuth thruster is a configuration of marine propellers placed in pods that can be rotated to any horizontal angle (azimuth), making a rudder unnecessary. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Ty ...

s, for her main propulsion. These, coupled with a bow thruster, make the ship exceptionally maneuverable. The Azipod units also remove the need for a traditional rudder, as the thrusters can turn 360 degrees around their vertical axis to direct their thrust in any direction. The ''Mackinaw'' also lacks a traditional ship's steering wheel. Much of the ship’s technology, including the Azipod thrusters, is from Finnish Maritime Cluster. Additionally, the ''Mackinaw'' can continuously proceed through fresh water ice up to 32 inches (81 cm) thick at 3 knots or 14 inches (36 cm) at 10 knots. She can also break smooth, continuous ice up to 42 inches (107 cm) thick by rising on top of it and crushing it with the weight of her bow.

History

The ''Mackinaw'' got off to a rocky start before being commissioned. While en route to her new home port of

Cheboygan, Michigan Cheboygan ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,876. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County. The name of the city shares the name of the county and probably has its origin from the ...

, the ''Mackinaw'' struck a

seawall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...

in Grand Haven, Michigan on December 12, 2005. The accident caused a dent in her starboard bow. Shortly after, Captain Donald Triner, the commanding officer of the ''Mackinaw'', was temporarily relieved of duty pending an investigation into the event. The accident did not delay the ship, which arrival on schedule on December 17, 2005. Captain Triner was later permanently relieved of duty and replaced by Captain Michael Hudson. The ''Mackinaw'' is stationed at

. It can be seen and toured at Grand Haven's

Coast Guard Festival Coast Guard Festival is a festival in Grand Haven, Michigan. Founded in 1924, the festival is a ten-day event that starts in the last weekend in July, and ends in early August. Over 350,000 people attend the festival, including the nation's highes ...

every summer. The ship was also featured on the television series

Modern Marvels ''Modern Marvels'' is an American worldwide television series that formerly aired on the History Channel and is currently shown on Story Television. The program focuses on how technologies affect and are used in modern society. It is History's ...

. Captain Hudson was subsequently replaced by Commander John Little in April 2006. CDR Scott J. Smith assumed command in July 2008 and was relieved by CDR Michael J. Davanzo in Aug, 2011. In June 2014, CDR Vasilios Tasikas assumed command. In June 2017, CDR John Stone assumed command. In June 2020, CDR Kristen Serumgard assumed command. In July 2022, CDR Jeannette Greene assumed command. '' Katmai Bay'', stationed at

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette. It i ...

, helps the ''Mackinaw'' in ice breaking duties.

Gallery

File:MackinawBowLaunch.jpg, USCGC ''Mackinaw'' on launch day, April 2, 2005. File:Mack Launch 172.jpg, Breaking the champagne bottle on the bow of USCGC ''Mackinaw'' on launch day, April 2, 2005. File:Mackinaw WLBB-30 Azipod thruster.jpg, Closeup of one of the ship's

s. File:MackinawLaunch.jpg, USCGC ''Mackinaw'' sliding towards the river during the launch. File:Mackinaw actual launch 2005-04-02.jpg, USCGC ''Mackinaw'' impacting the river. File:The Engineering Control Center of the USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30).jpg, The Mackinaw's Engineering Control Center, where the engineering watchstanders monitor the ship's machinery File:Coast Guard escorts commerce through Lake Superior Ice 140403-G-ZZ999-004.jpg, Mackinaw assisting a freighter in ice File:USCGC Mackinaw entering Grand Haven.jpg, USCGC Mackinaw entering Grand Haven, Michigan May of 2019

References

External links

*
Chicago's Christmas Ship
the ''Mackinaw'' delivers Christmas trees annually to Chicago

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackinaw (WLBB-30) Historic American Engineering Record in Michigan Icebreakers of the United States Coast Guard 2005 ships Ships built by Marinette Marine