USCGC Hollyhock [WLB-214]
2003-Present
Buoy Tender / Icebreaker
Port Huron, Michigan
Specs
Build Information
Year Built: 2003
Builder: Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wisconsin
Hull #114
Registry: US —
IMO #9271133
Laid Down: —
Launch Date: January 25, 2003
Delivered: November 30, 2003
Commissioned: Late 2003
Construction
USCGC Hollyhock was constructed in 2003 by Marinette Marine Corp. of Marinette, Wisconsin, for the United States Coast Guard. The Hollyhock is a Juniper class seagoing buoy tender and icebreaker, and was the 14th vessel constructed as part of the Juniper class program.
She is equipped with an Integrated Ship Control System and Dynamic Positioning System to assist in operations and coordinate between her navigation systems and control systems. Hollyhock features a single controllable pitch propeller with both bow and stern thrusters, and a strengthened hull for ice breaking. Buoy tending operations are conducted on the buoy deck forward of midship, with a forward mounted 40,000 lb. Appleton crane, with an extendable arm from 40′-60′. She is capable of breaking through 14” of ice at continuous speed and 36” of packed ice while backing and ramming.
General Stats
Length Overall: 225’09”
Breadth: 46′
Depth: 19’08”
Vessel Type: Buoy Tender / Icebreaker / Multi-Mission Platform
Crane: 40′-60′-Extendable Appleton Crane, 40,000 Lb capacity
Ice Capability: 14” freshwater ice at continuous speed, 36” packed freshwater ice backing and ramming
Propellers: 1 Controllable Pitch Propeller
Rudders: 1
Crew Compliment: 50 [8 officers/42 enlisted]
Engineering Equipment
Original
Engine
Engine Type: Diesel Engine
Engine Manufacturer: Caterpillar
Engine Model: 3608TA
Number of Engines: 2
Rated HP: 3100 BHP
History
Lineage
USCGC Hollyhock [WLB-214] – 2003-Present
Owner: United States Coast Guard, Washington D.C.
Operator: United States Coast Guard, 9th District, Cleveland, OH
Flag: United States
Home Port: Port Huron, MI
Station History
- Port Huron, Michigan – 2003-Present
Her Story
USCGC Hollyhock was constructed in 2003 by Marinette Marine Corp. of Marinette, WI, for the United States Coast Guard. The Hollyhock is a Juniper class seagoing buoy tender and icebreaker, and was the 14th vessel constructed as part of the Juniper class program. She was launched at Marinette on January 25, 2003, and accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard on November 30, 2003. She was commissioned by the Coast Guard in early 2004, relieving the 1944-built Balsam class tender Bramble of her duties.
Hollyhock was involved in a collision with the freighter Mesabi Miner while working in heavy ice on the Straits of Mackinac on January 5, 2014. The icebreaker hit a patch of thicker ice and slowed down, and the Mesabi Miner, unable to stop, hit the stern of the Hollyhock. The Miner escaped with minimal damage, while Hollyhock suffered more extensive damage to her fantail.
In late 2020, Hollyhock sailed off of the Great Lakes to assist with cleanup and buoy tending after fall hurricanes. She assisted with buoy tending operations on the east coast while other cutters were preoccupied with helping with hurricane relief and cleanup. She returned to the Great Lakes prior to icebreaking season.
Hollyhock will depart the Great Lakes in 2024 for the Coast Guard shipyard in Curtis Bay, MD, for her Midlife Maintenance Availability refit. Her station will be replaced by another Juniper class vessel, and the Hollyhock will be restationed off-lakes after her refit. For now, she continues her mission of icebreaking and buoy tending on the Great Lakes, operating out of Port Huron, MI.
Compiled By Brendan Falkowski
Updated on February 6, 2021
Gallery
Sources
“CGC Hollyhock”. United States Coast Guard, N.d. Accessed 6 February 2021 <https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-9/Ninth-District-Staff/Prevention-Division/Cutters/HOLLYHOCK/>
LeLievre, Roger. Know Your Ships 2020. Marine Publishing Co., 2020. Pp. 85.
Northrup, Jacob. “USCGC Hollyhock”. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online. N.d. Accessed 6 February 2021. <http://boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/Hollyhock2.htm>
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