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USCGC Citrus (WLB-300)
Encyclopedia
USCGC Citrus (WAGL-300/WLB-300/WMEC-300) was a Cactus (A)-class seagoing buoy tender
USCG Seagoing Buoy Tender
The Seagoing Buoy Tender is a type of U.S. Coast Guard cutter originally designed to service aids to navigation, throughout the waters of the United States, and wherever U.S. shipping interests require. The Coast Guard has maintained a fleet of seagoing buoy tenders dating back to its origins in...
built in 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
, and now operated by the navy of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
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During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the 180-foot ship helped build LORAN
LORAN
LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....
stations on the Aleutian Islands. From 1945 to 1979, Citrus largely helped maintain aids to navigation
Navigational aid
A navigational aid is any sort of marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel...
in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
n waters. In 1980, she was converted into a medium-endurance cutter homeported at Coos Bay, Oregon
Coos Bay, Oregon
Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or the Bay Area...
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In 1995, after 51 years' service, it was transferred to the Dominican Navy
Dominican Navy
The Navy of the Dominican Republic or Marina de Guerra Dominicana , is one of the three branches of the Military of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force.-History:...
, which commissioned it the Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta.
Ship's history
After the Coast Guard took over the United States Lighthouse ServiceUnited States Lighthouse Service
The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 until 1939...
in 1939, the plans for the USLS Juniper class of 177 ft (54 m) seagoing buoy tenders were modified to 180 ft (55 m). These were built in three classes. The Cactus (A) class had 12 vessels, the Mesquite (B) class had six, and the Iris (C) class had 20. Twenty were built at one of two shipyards in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
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Citrus was laid down 29 April 1942 at the Marine Iron & Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth. She was launched on 15 August 1942 and commissioned on 3 April 1943.
World War II
USCGC Citrus was initially assigned to the Ninth District in April 1943. With home port in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, the cutter was to be used for general aids to navigation and icebreaking on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
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The cutter was re-assigned to Alaska Sector, Northwestern Sea Frontier on 15 September 1943. Construction work on the Western Aleutian LORAN chain began during the latter part of 1943. Beginning in November 1943, men and materials began to arrive at sites 62 (Sitka), 63 (Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
), and 64 (Attu
Attu Station, Alaska
Attu Station is a census-designated place located on Attu Island in the Aleutians West Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 20 at the 2000 census, consisting entirely of coastguardsmen and -women who resided and worked at the United States Coast Guard LORAN station...
). Citrus and two Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
s, SS George Flavel and SS McKenzie, transported Coast Guard construction crews to erect Quonset hut
Quonset hut
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
s for Construction Detachment "A" at Massacre Bay
Massacre Bay
Massacre Bay is an inlet on the southeast coast of the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.Massacre Bay was among the landing sites of United States Army troops in the Battle of Attu in May 1943, which led to the recapture of the island from the Japanese during World War...
, Attu and at Baxter Cove
Attu Station, Alaska
Attu Station is a census-designated place located on Attu Island in the Aleutians West Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 20 at the 2000 census, consisting entirely of coastguardsmen and -women who resided and worked at the United States Coast Guard LORAN station...
, Adak. Unloading at Adak was done with 5' x 7' steel pontoon-type barges. They arrived on 24 December 1943. Heavy ground swells made unloading materiel from the cutter to the barge precarious. Despite the possibility of a sudden squall, both barges made the beach about sundown. Temporary floodlights were then rigged and unloading operations continued until 1200 on Christmas Day
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. As the storm increased in intensity, Citrus was unable to maintain her anchorage and was forced to return to Massacre Bay until the storm subsided on 2 January 1944.
Early in February 1944, a five-day storm swept the Massacre Bay area with winds up to 125 mph (201 km/h). At Attu, Citrus took nine men off a swamped Army tug without loss of life and then sank the foundering tug with gunfire. Citrus also assisted in getting a Liberty ship off the beach after it had been driven ashore by a severe storm. The Citrus arrived at Ketchikan on 7 February 1944.
On 20 February, Citrus was dispatched to assist Mary D which was hard aground on Point St. Alban's Reef. With the assistance of USCGC Hemlock and LT-151. Mary D was re-floated. After jettisoning some cargo, she could continue on to Ketchikan. On 27 February 1944, Citrus was dispatched to the assistance of Army tug USAT ST-169 in distress in Chatham Strait after losing its crib tow.
On 17 October 1944 Citrus departed Petersburg
Petersburg, Alaska
Petersburg is a city in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, in the United States. According to 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 2,824 full time residents.- History :...
to render assistance to ATS Brunswick aground in Wrangell Narrows
Wrangell Narrows
The Wrangell Narrows is a winding, 35-km-long channel between Mitkof Island and Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The Wrangell Narrows is one of the six Listed narrows in Southeast Alaska. There are about 60 lights and buoys to mark it because of its winding nature...
. Citrus pulled her afloat and the latter continued on under its own power. Citrus spent the remainder of the war conducting aids to navigation, logistics, and vessel escort duties in Southwestern Alaskan waters.
Postwar
From the end of the war until 29 June 1964, Citrus continued to be stationed at Ketchikan and conducted aids to navigation duties. On 9 September 1948, Citrus assisted MV Caledonia in Idaho Inlet. From 29-31 October 1948, the tender assisted USNS Mission Santa Cruz.From 13-19 February 1950, Citrus searched for a missing USAF plane near the Wrangell Narrows
Wrangell Narrows
The Wrangell Narrows is a winding, 35-km-long channel between Mitkof Island and Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. The Wrangell Narrows is one of the six Listed narrows in Southeast Alaska. There are about 60 lights and buoys to mark it because of its winding nature...
. During 25-27 August 1950, the cutter provided assistance to the barge Bisco 3 near Ratz Harbor and a fishing vessel Vermay near Cape Muzon
Cape Muzon
Cape Muzon is a cape located in the Alexander Archipelago of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the southernmost point of Dall Island and the headland marking the northwestern extremity of the Dixon Entrance...
, and towed the power scow Chichagof near Cape Chacon.
On 19 May 1951, Citrus escorted USCGC White Holly to Ketchikan after the latter struck a rock. On 25 May 1951, Citrus assisted fishing vessel Dolores near Point Gardner and from 21-27 July 1951 the cutter searched for a missing Canadian DC-4.
During 15-19 January 1952, Citrus escorted USCGC Cahoone to Sitka. On 8 June 1952, the cutter towed the fishing vessel Pioneer to Ketchikan and assisted the fishing vessel Hobo near Lincoln Island
Lincoln Island (Alaska)
Lincoln Island is a wooded island in Lynn Canal in Alaska, United States. Located at , the island is northwest of Shelter Island and southeast of Ralston Island. It is part of the Juneau City and Borough. The first European to sight the island was Joseph Whidbey, master of the HMS Discovery during...
on 13 August 1952. Ten days later, on 23 August 1952 Citrus assisted the fishing vessel Cinuk in the Behm Canal
Behm Canal
Behm Canal is a channel in the Alexander Archipelago, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alaska.About long, Behm Canal separates Revillagigedo Island from the mainland...
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On 24 August 1953, it helped the tug Saturn recover its lost tow at 56° 25' N, 14° 28' W. Citrus then spent 25-30 August 1953 searching for, finding, and towing a scow to Ketchikan. On 13 October 1953, Citrus assisted the grounded APL-55 near the Dangerous River.
From 30 June 1964 to 1979 Citrus was stationed at Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
and used for aids to navigation. On 12 February 1965, she located two Russian fishing vessel
Fishing vessel
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing....
s 3.4 mi (5.5 km) from U.S. territory. After notification of their location, they departed.
On 8 March 1965, the cutter's crew fought a fire on MV Kalaikh off Alaska and towed it to Kodiak. On 3 May 1965, Citrus flew a seaman from the Russian fishing vessel Churkzn to Kodiak Island.
From 24 to 26 January 1968, the crew fought a fire on the Japanese MV Seifu Maru in Dutch Harbor. On 9 August 1968, the distressed MV Dantzler was assisted after a grounding and escorted the ship from near Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage....
to Homer, Alaska
Homer, Alaska
Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 5,364. One of Homer's nicknames is "the cosmic hamlet by the sea"; another is "the end of the road"...
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On 19 January 1974 Citrus searched for missing crew members from the trawler John and Olaf in the Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.The entire shoreline of the Gulf is...
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On 27 February 1979. the cutter struck a submerged object in the Ouzinkie Narrows between Kodiak and Spruce Islands. Although there were no casualties, the ship sustained significant damage. In March 1979 Citrus was converted to a medium-endurance cutter
USCG Medium Endurance Cutter
The United States Coast Guard's cutter fleet contains numerous smaller vessels, and about three dozen large icebreakers, High endurance cutters, Medium Endurance cutters, and three National Security Cutters. There are two legacy vessels, the Alex Haley and the Acushnet.There are 13 vessels in the...
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Medium-endurance cutter duty
Coos Bay, Oregon
Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or the Bay Area...
. The cutter's mission was primarily law enforcement and search and rescue. Her primary law enforcement activities involved the boarding of domestic and foreign fishing vessels.
After attempting to send a boarding party for a drug search on 1 January 1985, Citrus was rammed by the Panamanian MV Pacific Star 680 mi (1,094 km) southwest of San Diego. Pacific Star was scuttled by its crew. Seven crewmen were rescued and 1000 lb (454 kg) of marijuana was seized.
Awards and Honors
Throughout her 51 years of service, Citrus was decorated with four Unit CommendationCoast Guard Unit Commendation
The Coast Guard Unit Commendation is the highest peacetime unit award that may be awarded to military commands of the United States Coast Guard. The decoration was first created in 1963 and is presented to members of any Coast Guard unit that distinguishes itself by valorous or extremely...
s, three Meritorious Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
s, two Arctic Service Medal
Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal
The Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal was established in 1976 by Admiral Owen W. Siler, USCG and is awarded to any member of the United States Coast Guard who performs twenty one days of cumulative duty afloat or ashore north of the Arctic Circle....
s, the American Defense Medal
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
, World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
, and the National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
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Dominican Navy
The Citrus was initially transferred to the Mexican NavyMexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
, but delivery was refused in February 1995. The Citrus was transferred to the Dominican Navy
Dominican Navy
The Navy of the Dominican Republic or Marina de Guerra Dominicana , is one of the three branches of the Military of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force.-History:...
on 16 September 1995, and renamed Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta (C-456). It has been rearmed with a 102 mm 45 caliber DP gun
Dual purpose gun
A dual purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets.-Description:Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and cruisers ; a secondary battery for use against enemy...
, two single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
s, and four 7.62 mm M60 machine gun
M60 machine gun
The M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...
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