.gif)
USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83)
Encyclopedia
USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83) was a 290 feet (88.4 m) vessel specifically designed for ice breaking duties on the Great Lakes
. LR number: 6119534
Mackinaws design was based on the Wind class of Coast Guard icebreaker
s, but the cutter was built wider and longer than the other Wind class vessels so that her draft would be shallower. Because of this, the Mackinaw was unique in the Coast Guard fleet. Incidentally, this design made the Mackinaw too wide to fit through the pre-1959 Welland Canal
, and the Mackinaw never served on salt water.
The Mackinaw was homeported in Cheboygan, Michigan
during active service. Due to the Mackinaws age and expensive upkeep, the cutter was decommissioned and replaced with a smaller multipurpose cutter USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30)
, which was commissioned in Cheboygan the same day.
In 2002 the crew of this cutter painted and refurbished the Fourteen Foot Shoal Light
.
The old Mackinaw moved under its own power on June 21, 2006 from the port of its decommissioning to a permanent berth at the SS Chief Wawatam
dock at the ship's namesake port, Mackinaw City, Michigan
where she now serves as a museum ship
known as Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum.
The CCECPSCO has two repeaters on the Mackinaw to provide communications coverage throughout the Straits of Mackinac
. These repeaters, operating under the call-sign W8AGB (to match the ship's WAGB-83 designation), are on 145.110 with 103.5 PL and 444.375 with 107.2 PL. The organization is also actively assisting the museum with restoration and operation of various communications, navigation, and power systems. Included with the radios on-board the ship are two Sunair RT-9000 HF transceivers with matching antenna couplers and vertical antennas. Scheduled for spring 2010 is the installation of a third RT-9000 paired with an LPA-9600 solid-state kilowatt amplifier and CU-9100 kilowatt autotuner along with a Sunair F-9800 automatic pre/post filter for each radio (to permit simultaneous operation of all three stations), and Sunair RCU-9310 remote control panels.
Ham radio operators visiting the Mackinaw may operate the W8AGB station whenever a CCECPSCO member is present. The CCECPSCO conducts Amateur Radio Field Day operations from the Mackinaw on the fourth full weekend in June.
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...
. LR number: 6119534
Mackinaws design was based on the Wind class of Coast Guard icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
s, but the cutter was built wider and longer than the other Wind class vessels so that her draft would be shallower. Because of this, the Mackinaw was unique in the Coast Guard fleet. Incidentally, this design made the Mackinaw too wide to fit through the pre-1959 Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
, and the Mackinaw never served on salt water.
The Mackinaw was homeported in Cheboygan, Michigan
Cheboygan, Michigan
Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....
during active service. Due to the Mackinaws age and expensive upkeep, the cutter was decommissioned and replaced with a smaller multipurpose cutter USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30)
USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30)
USCGC Mackinaw is a vessel built as a heavy icebreaker for operations on the North American Great Lakes for the United States Coast Guard. IMO number: 9271054...
, which was commissioned in Cheboygan the same day.
In 2002 the crew of this cutter painted and refurbished the Fourteen Foot Shoal Light
Fourteen Foot Shoal Light
The lighthouse at Fourteen Foot Shoal was named to note that the lake is only deep at this point, which is a hazard to navigation, ships and mariners....
.
The old Mackinaw moved under its own power on June 21, 2006 from the port of its decommissioning to a permanent berth at the SS Chief Wawatam
SS Chief Wawatam
SS Chief Wawatam was a coal-fired train ferry and icebreaker that operated in the Straits of Mackinac between 1911–1984. Her home port was St. Ignace, Michigan, and she shuttled back and forth during her entire working life between that port and Mackinaw City, Michigan.-Railroad ferry:The Chief...
dock at the ship's namesake port, Mackinaw City, Michigan
Mackinaw City, Michigan
Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2000 census the population was 859. The name "Mackinaw City" is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually a village...
where she now serves as a museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
known as Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum.
Ham radio
The Cheboygan, Emmet County's public service communications organization, has established a full-time ham radio station on board the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum.The CCECPSCO has two repeaters on the Mackinaw to provide communications coverage throughout the Straits of Mackinac
Straits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
. These repeaters, operating under the call-sign W8AGB (to match the ship's WAGB-83 designation), are on 145.110 with 103.5 PL and 444.375 with 107.2 PL. The organization is also actively assisting the museum with restoration and operation of various communications, navigation, and power systems. Included with the radios on-board the ship are two Sunair RT-9000 HF transceivers with matching antenna couplers and vertical antennas. Scheduled for spring 2010 is the installation of a third RT-9000 paired with an LPA-9600 solid-state kilowatt amplifier and CU-9100 kilowatt autotuner along with a Sunair F-9800 automatic pre/post filter for each radio (to permit simultaneous operation of all three stations), and Sunair RCU-9310 remote control panels.
Ham radio operators visiting the Mackinaw may operate the W8AGB station whenever a CCECPSCO member is present. The CCECPSCO conducts Amateur Radio Field Day operations from the Mackinaw on the fourth full weekend in June.
Skippers
WAGB 83 had 30 skippers during her nearly 62-year career:- Cmdr. Edwin J. Roland 1944–46
- Cmdr. Carl H. Stober 1946–47
- Capt. Harold J. Doebler 1947–49
- Capt. Carl G. Bowman 1949–50
- Capt. Dwight H. Dexter 1950–52
- Cmdr. Willard J. Smith 1952–54
- Capt. Clifford R. Maclean 1954–56
- Capt. Evor S. Kerr 1956–58
- Capt. John P. German 1958–60
- Capt. Joseph Howe 1960–62
- Capt. Benjamin Chiswell, Jr. 1962–64
- Capt. George H. Lawrence 1964–66
- Capt. George D. Winstein 1966–68
- Capt. Otto F. Unsinn 1968–70
- Capt. Lilbourn A. Pharris, Jr. 1970–72
- Capt. John H. Bruce 1972–74
- Capt. Lawrence A. White 1974–76
- Capt. Donald D. Garnett 1976–78
- Capt. Gordon Hall 1978–80
- Capt. Francis J. Honke 1980–83
- Capt. P.R. Taylor 1983–85
- Capt. A. H. Litteken, Jr. 1985–88
- Capt. J. J. McQueeny 1988–89
- Capt. A. H. Litteken, Jr. 1989–89
- Capt. R. J. Parsons 1989–92
- Capt. C. A. Swedberg 1992–95
- Cmdr. K. R. Colwell 1995–98
- Cmdr. E. Sinclair 1998–2000
- Cmdr. J. H. Nickerson 2000–03
- Cmdr. Joseph C. McGuiness 2003–06