USCGC MESQUITE
(WLB-305)

The 180-foot buoy tender MESQUITE was builit at Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Co. in Duluth MN being commisioned in August, 1943. She served in the Pacific until the end of World War II and in 1947, returned to the Great Lakes. The MESQUITE has been homeported in Charlevoix, Michigan since changing homeports with the buoy tender SUNDEW.

The ship underwent extensive renovation at the Coast Guard yard in Baltimore, Maryland in 1975. The main engines were overhauled, new ship's service generators were installed, new heating and air conditioning systems were added, gallery and berthing facilities were updated. Berthing is available for eight officers, four CPO's and 44 enlisted.

MESQUITE is propelled by two 700 horsepower Cooper-Bessemer diesel engines which drive two DC generators. The generators provide electricity to a 1200 horsepower Westinghouse motor which turns the ship's propeller for a top speed of 13 knots (15mph)

Unique features that distinguish MESQUITE and her sister ships from other vessels are her bow thruster, powerful hydraulic hoisting gear, and ice-breaking hull. Using the rounded hull and blunt, stepped bow, the ship rides up on the ice and uses her weight to break ice up to 18 inches thick. The hydraulic boom is used to hoist buoys, mooring chain, and concrete sinkers aboard for inspection and servicing.

MESQUITE has two small boats. The 26 foot motor cargo boat is manned by a crew of three and can carry up to 2000 pounds of cargo. Powered by a 92 horsepower diesel, it has a top speed of 14 knots. The 17 foot Avon is an inflatable with rigid fiberglass hull. It is manned by a crew of two and can carry four additional passengers. It's 70 horsepower outboard motor give the Avon a top speed of 35 knots.

Homeported in Charlevoix, Michigan, MESQUITE'S primary duty is maintaining about 85 aids to navigation. Approximately 35 of these are large lighted buoys which must be set on station every spring and withdrawn in the late fall before the rigors of winter take their toll. The smaller, unlighted buoys remain on station year-round, but they must be inspected every summer to insure that they are ready for another season.

The officers and men of the MESQUITE take pride in the fact that all the buoys in their territory are always "on station and watching properly".

MESQUITE is also involved in search and rescue, ice breaking in the winter months, and fisheries management. Each year the ship assists the National Fish and Wildlife Service in stocking Lake Michigan with thousands of fingerling trout.

SHIPS CHARACTERISTICS

Length overall ........................180 feet
Maximum beam......................37 feet
Mean Draft.............................12 feet 8 inches
Displacement.........................1026 tons
Ships sevice generators...........two GM diesel, 100KW
50 KW emergency generator
Propulsion..............................Diesel-electric
Main engines..........................Cooper-Bessemer GM-18
700 hp each
Electric Motor.........................Westinghouse 1200hp
Propeller.................................8 feet, 6 inch diameter
5 bladed, stainless steel
Maximum speed......................13 knots
Cruising speed........................ 10 knots
Diesel fuel capacity..................28,000 gallons
Fresh water capacity.................30,500 gallons
Cargo holds..............................15,000 cubic feet
Anchors...................................2200 lbs each
8 1/2 shots (510 ft) chain each
Hoisting capacity......................25 tons (5-part purchase)
18 1/2 tons (3-part purchase)
6 tons (auxiliary hoister)
Personnel allowance..................6 officers, 42 enlisted.

Information gathered by Terry & Carrie Luedtke from the "Change Of Command Brochure", 1989.

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