USCGC Oak (WLB-211)

The USCGC "Oak" (WLB-211) is a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender home-ported in Charleston, South Carolina. The ship tends buoys along the Southeastern U.S. coast and throughout the Caribbean Sea including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Haiti and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The "Oak" also performs other duties, such as maritime border security, marine environmental protection, maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and domestic icebreaking.

History

The keel for the "Oak" was laid on July 30, 2001 at Marinette Marine Corporation in Wisconsin. "Oak" was launched on January 26, 2002. The ship's sponsor was Mrs. Billye Brown, wife of Congressman Henry E. Brown (R-SC). "Oak" made the trip from Marinette, Wisconsin to Charleston, SC and was commissioned on March 7, 2003, the first Coast Guard cutter to be commissioned following the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. The "Oak" took Aids to Navigation responsibility for the waterways of decommissioned USCGC "Madrona", USCGC "Laurel" and USCGC "Papaw" and regularly sees duty throughout the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean.

External links

* [http://www.uscg.mil/d7/units/SectorChasn/cgcoak/ USCGC "Oak"]