New and old Mackinaws at the Millard D. Olds Memorial Mooring in Cheboygan,
Michigan - June 11, 2006
Great Lakes ice breaker Mackinaw
Commissioned June 10, 2006 Mackinaw (WLBB 30) assumed
the "Mackinaw" name and heritage and now stands as the largest United States
Coast Guard Cutter on the Great Lakes. WLBB 30 is configured to better
handle a variety of roles including buoy maintenance, and handling of environmental
spills.
The Mackinaw is powered by 3 Caterpillar 3612 Turbocharged
V-12 engines - 3360 KW each. Prolusion comes from 2 ABB azimuthing electric
propulsion drives where the propulsion motor is installed inside a submerged
azimuthing (unlimited 360 degrees) pod and coupled directly to an extremely
short propeller shaft. See photos of
the pods from before the Mackinaw's launch.
Length...240 feet Beam...58 feet
Draft (full)...16 feet
Displacement (full)...3,350 tons Range at
12 knots...4000 nautical miles
Officers...9 Crew...47
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Touring the CGC Mackinaw
Old Mackinaw
Biscayne Bay
ice breaking tug
Mackinac Bridge home
Old Mackinac Point
Lighthouse
Straits Lighthouses
Mackinac Island
2013
Straits of Mackinac Lighthouse Flight
Mackinaw winter
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The Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw near Fourteen Foot Shoal Light during
training in April 2006
The Mackinaw sailing the Straits of Mackinac on November 26, 2006 -
photographed
by Patrick Duflo of St. Ignace, Michigan.
A "cutter" is any Coast Guard vessel at least 65 feet long which has
accommodations for the crew to live on board
The Mackinaw carries two utility boats
Why "WLBB?" The "W" has been applied to all
Coast Guard ships since WWII. During the war, to avoid problems that could
arise from a Navy and Coast Guard ship having the same number on their
bows, a "W" was painted before the number to signify the ship as a Coast
Guard ship. The "AGB" is for Arctic Glacier Breaker. The Polar Rollers
(Polar Star, Polar Sea) and Healy are also WAGB's. "WLB" is the Coast Guard's
designation for sea-going buoy tenders. "L" is for working boat (Load-bearing)
and B is for Big. All of the 225 ft tenders are WLBs. The "LB" is for Big
buoy tender and the Mackinaw's final "B" is for [ice]Breaker. The Mackinac
is affectionately known as a "buoy breaker" to some. Other load-bearing
classifications include "WLM" (Medium - 175 ft buoy tenders), "WLC" (Construction),
"WLR" (River), "WLI" (Inland), "WLIC" (Inland Construction), and "WLIR"
(Inland River).
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw at the starting line of the 101st
Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Island on
Saturday, July 18, 2009. The Mackinaw shepherds the racers the length
of Lake Michigan. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard.
The "Christmas Tree Ship" tradition goes back over 100 years to the
three masted schooner, Rouse Simmons. The original
Mackinaw
(WAGB-83) revived the event in 2000 and
(WLBB-30) continues the tradition to this day. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast
Guard.
Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw in the St. Mary's River approaching the
Soo Locks on March 23, 2007.
Photo furnished by Chelsea Socha of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
The Mackinaw breaking a path for a downbound merchant vessel in Munuscong
Bay on the St. Mary's River in
December 2013. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse
City.
Mackinaw Launch
Old Mackinaw 2005
tour of the old Mackinaw
copyright 2006-2014 by Keith
Stokes. . My home
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