USCGC ''Woodrush'' (WLB-407) was a buoy tender that performed general aids-to-navigation (ATON),

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

(SAR), and

icebreaking 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 ...

duties 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, m ...

(USCG) from 1944 to 2001 from home ports of

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior, Wisconsin, Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: Downtown Dul ...

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 then while being towed sank off

Graham Island Graham Island () is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), lying off the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other p ...

, 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 Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and ...

to serve in the Ghana Navy.

Construction and design

''Woodrush'' was built by the Zenith Dredge Company in

as a , ''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 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.

Commissioning

''Woodrush'' was commissioned on 22 September 1944 under the command of LCDR F. D. Hagaman, USCG. In keeping with the

Lighthouse Service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of th ...

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

as her home port.

History

''Woodrush'' performed many duties and missions in the

district until 31 July 1978. She was part the icebreaking fleet of buoy tenders that kept the shipping lanes open on the

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 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. 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 Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. 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.Wolff, Julius F. (1979). "Lake Superior Shipwrecks", p. 221. Lake Superior Marine Museum Association, Inc., Duluth, Minnesota. .Stonehouse, Frederick (2006, 7th Ed.). "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", pp. 46–48, Avery Color Studios, Inc., Gwinn, Michigan. 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 The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

ROV, the

CURV CURV-III was the fourth generation of the United States Navy Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (CURV). CURV was a prototype for remotely operated underwater vehicles and a pioneer for teleoperation. It became famous in 1966 when CURV- ...

, that was used to survey the ''Fitzgerald'' wreck.Hemming, Robert (1981). "The Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald", pp. 195–204. Thunder Bay Press, US. A few years later, ''Woodrush'' was called out to help break ice for some freighters near the

Soo Locks The Soo Locks (sometimes spelled Sault Locks but pronounced "soo") are a set of parallel locks, operated and maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, that enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the low ...

. ''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. 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. 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

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

. The ''Prinsendam'' rescue is rated by the U.S. Coast Guard as one of the ten most successful rescues because the nearest airstrip was 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. In 1993, she went to the assistance of the grounded cruise ship, the ''MV Yorktown Clipper''. After serving the U.S. Coast Guard for 57 years, ''Woodrush'' was decommissioned on 2 March 2001 and sold to the

to serve in Ghana Navy as ''GNS Anzone'' P30.

Photo gallery

Image:Woodrush cutting ice.jpg, USCGC ''Woodrush'' (WLB-407) breaking ice on the Great Lakes Image:Woodrush breaking ice 1960s - USMILNET.jpg, Circa 1960s – USCGC ''Woodrush'' (WLB-407) breaking ice on the Great Lakes Image:Woodrush 1992.jpg, Original USCG caption: "Solid Gold! Woodrush returns to port after the final battle problem for REFTRA 92 earning a 5th consecutive clean sweep!"; 1992. Image:Ghanaian Navy 035.jpg, GNS ''Anzone'' P30 (former ''Woodrush'' (WLB-407)) Image:Woodrush breaking ice 1960s.jpg, ''Woodrush'' breaking ice on the Great Lakes, 1960s

References

External links

Coast Guard Channel Photos
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodrush Historic American Engineering Record in Alaska Iris-class seagoing buoy tenders 1944 ships Ships built in Duluth, Minnesota Ships of the Ghana Navy Ships transferred from the United States Coast Guard to the Ghana Navy