USCGC Spar (WLB-403)
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| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation, Duluth, Minnesota |
| Cost: | $865,941 |
| Laid down: | 13 September 1943 |
| Launched: | 2 November 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 12 June 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | 28 February 1997 |
| Fate: | Scuttled |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Iris |
| Displacement: | 1,025 LT (1,041 t/1,148 ST) |
| Length: | 180 ft (55 m) |
| Beam: | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × General Motors EMD 645 V8 diesel engines |
| Speed: | 13 kn (24 km/h/15 mph) |
| Range: | 8,000 nmi (15,000 km/9,200 mi) at 13 kn (24 km/h/15 mph) |
| Complement: | 48 |
| Armament: | Wartime: 20-mm guns, a 3-inch cannon, and depth charges. Peacetime: None. |
The USCGC Spar (WLB-403) was a 180-foot (55 m) sea going buoy tender. An Iris class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Spar's preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth. On 13 September 1943 the keel was laid, she was launched on 02 November 1942 and commissioned on 12 Jun 1944. The original cost for the hull and machinery was $865,941.
Spar was one of 39 original 180-foot (55 m) seagoing buoy tenders built between 1942-1944. All but one of the original tenders (the USCGC Ironwood) were built in Duluth.
Spar's most notable accomplishment was being a member of a group of United States Coast Guard vessels to be the first to circumnavigate North America in 1957.
Spar was decommissioned in 1997 and sold at auction. After changing hands several times, she ended up being transferred to the Northeastern Maritime Historical Foundation, who evaluated her and determined their best use of the ship was to sell her, or parts of her, to raise money to support their other projects. Spar's main engines, generators, and other equipment were removed and sold to re-power another vessel. The remains of the vessel were scuttled in October of 2004 in 108 feet of water, 30 miles (48 km) off Morehead City, North Carolina, where she now serves as an artificial reef.
[edit] References
- National Park Service Report on the 180-foot (55 m) buoy tenders
- Northeastern Maritime Website
- The Spar Museum
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