Aug. 26, 2024 —
Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia departs Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore on Aug. 21, 2024, following completion of its major maintenance availability as part of the In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia, a 225-foot Juniper-class seagoing buoy tender, departed Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore on Aug. 21 following completion of its major maintenance availability (MMA) as part of the In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program. With Sequoia’s departure, 15 of 16 seagoing buoy tenders have undergone the process to make targeted improvements designed to enhance mission capability through the duration of the vessel’s planned service life.
The ISVS Program restores mission readiness, improves reliability and reduces maintenance costs of the service’s legacy cutter fleet through two types of projects: major maintenance availabilities and service life extension programs. These programs offer the most cost-effective solution for delivering essential maintenance and upgrades, ensuring Coast Guard surface vessels meet or exceed their expected service life.
The Coast Guard’s fleet of 225-foot seagoing buoy tenders began undergoing MMA work in 2015 to ensure each cutter achieves its full 30-year designed service life. To date, the project remains on schedule and under budget.
For the MMA, hull and structural repairs are made, and obsolete, unsupportable or maintenance-intensive equipment replaced, including updates to the propellers and machinery control, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
“The departure of Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia from Coast Guard Yard marks a significant milestone in the cutter’s distinguished service history,” said Kenneth King, program manager for the ISVS Program. “This achievement was made possible by the dedicated efforts of Coast Guard Yard’s workforce and the command and crew onboard Sequoia.”
The seagoing buoy tenders are a multi-mission platform; their primary mission is to service aids to navigation throughout U.S. waters and wherever American shipping interests require assistance. The Coast Guard’s history of maintaining a fleet of seagoing buoy tenders dates back to the U.S. Lighthouse Service, one of the predecessor agencies that form the modern-day Coast Guard.
Sequoia is homeported in Port Huron, Michigan, where it is responsible for nearly 150 aids to navigation on the lower Great Lakes. Its primary missions are aids to navigation, search and rescue, environmental protection and domestic icebreaking.
For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program page