USCGC Citrus (WLB-300)

USCGC ''Citrus'' (WAGL-300/WLB-300/WMEC-300) was a ''Cactus'' (A)-class seagoing buoy tender built in 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota, and now operated by the navy of the Dominican Republic.

During World War II, the 180-foot ship helped build LORAN stations on the Aleutian Islands. From 1945 to 1979, ''Citrus'' largely helped maintain aids to navigation in Alaskan waters. In 1980, she was converted into a medium-endurance cutter homeported at Coos Bay, Oregon.

In 1995, after 51 years' service, it was transferred to the Dominican Navy, which commissioned it ''Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta''.

Ship's history

After the Coast Guard took over the United States Lighthouse Service in 1939, the plans for the USLS ''Juniper'' class of seagoing buoy tenders were modified to . These were built in three classes. The ''Cactus'' (A) class had 12 vessels, the ''Mesquite'' (B) class had six, and the ''Iris'' (C) class had 20. Twenty were built at one of two shipyards in Duluth, Minnesota.

''Citrus'' was laid down 29 April 1942 at the Marine Iron & Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth. She was launched on 15 August 1942 and commissioned on 3 April 1943.

World War II

USCGC ''Citrus'' was initially assigned to the Ninth District in April 1943. With home port in Detroit, Michigan, the cutter was to be used for general aids to navigation and icebreaking on the Great Lakes.

The cutter was reassigned to Alaska Sector, Northwestern Sea Frontier on 15 September 1943. Construction work on the Western Aleutian LORAN chain began during the latter part of 1943. Beginning in November 1943, men and materials began to arrive at sites 62 ( Sitka), 63 (Amchitka), and 64 ( Attu). ''Citrus'' and two Liberty ships, SS ''George Flavel'' and SS ''McKenzie'', transported Coast Guard construction crews to erect Quonset huts for Construction Detachment "A" at Massacre Bay, Attu and at Baxter Cove, Adak. Unloading at Adak was done with 5' x 7' steel pontoon-type barges. They arrived on 24 December 1943. Heavy ground swells made unloading materiel from the cutter to the barge precarious. Despite the possibility of a sudden squall, both barges made the beach about sundown. Temporary floodlights were then rigged and unloading operations continued until 1200 on Christmas Day. As the storm increased in intensity, ''Citrus'' was unable to maintain her anchorage and was forced to return to Massacre Bay until the storm subsided on 2 January 1944.

Early in February 1944, a five-day storm swept the Massacre Bay area with winds up to . At Attu, ''Citrus'' took nine men off a swamped Army tug without loss of life and then sank the foundering tug with gunfire. ''Citrus'' also assisted in getting a Liberty ship off the beach after it had been driven ashore by a severe storm. ''Citrus'' arrived at Ketchikan on 7 February 1944.

On 20 February, ''Citrus'' was dispatched to assist ''Mary D'' which was hard aground on Point St. Alban's Reef. With the assistance of USCGC ''Hemlock'' and ''LT-151''. ''Mary D'' was re-floated. After jettisoning some cargo, she could continue on to Ketchikan. On 27 February 1944, ''Citrus'' was dispatched to the assistance of Army tug USAT ''ST-169'' in distress in Chatham Strait after losing its crib tow.

On 17 October 1944 ''Citrus'' departed Petersburg to render assistance to ATS ''Brunswick'' aground in Wrangell Narrows. ''Citrus'' pulled her afloat and the latter continued on under its own power. ''Citrus'' spent the remainder of the war conducting aids to navigation, logistics, and vessel escort duties in Southwestern Alaskan waters.

Postwar

From the end of the war until 29 June 1964, ''Citrus'' continued to be stationed at Ketchikan and conducted aids to navigation duties. On 9 September 1948, ''Citrus'' assisted MV ''Caledonia'' in Idaho Inlet. From 29–31 October 1948, the tender assisted .

From 13–19 February 1950, ''Citrus'' searched for a missing USAF plane near the Wrangell Narrows. During 25–27 August 1950, the cutter provided assistance to the barge ''Bisco 3'' near Ratz Harbor and a fishing vessel ''Vermay'' near Cape Muzon, and towed the power scow ''Chichagof'' near Cape Chacon.

On 19 May 1951, ''Citrus'' escorted USCGC ''White Holly'' to Ketchikan after the latter struck a rock. On 25 May 1951, ''Citrus'' assisted fishing vessel ''Dolores'' near Point Gardner and from 21 to 27 July 1951 ''Citrus'' searched for a missing Canadian Douglas DC-4 aircraft.

During 15–19 January 1952, ''Citrus'' escorted USCGC ''Cahoone'' to Sitka. On 8 June 1952, the cutter towed the fishing vessel ''Pioneer'' to Ketchikan and assisted the fishing vessel ''Hobo'' near Lincoln Island on 13 August 1952. Ten days later, on 23 August 1952 ''Citrus'' assisted the fishing vessel ''Cinuk'' in the Behm Canal.

On 24 August 1953, it helped the tug ''Saturn'' recover its lost tow at 56° 25' N, 14° 28' W. ''Citrus'' then spent 25–30 August 1953 searching for, finding, and towing a scow to Ketchikan. On 13 October 1953, ''Citrus'' assisted the grounded ''APL-55'' near the Dangerous River.

From 30 June 1964 to 1979 ''Citrus'' was stationed at Kodiak, Alaska, and operated frpom there in support of aids to navigation. On 12 February 1965, she located two Soviet fishing vessels from U.S. territory. After she notified them they had entered U.S. territorial waters, they departed.

On 8 March 1965, the ''Citrus''s crew fought a fire on MV ''Kalaikh'' off Alaska and towed her to Kodiak. On 3 May 1965, ''Citrus'' transported a seaman from the Soviet fishing vessel ''Churkzn'' to Kodiak Island.

On 6 February 1967, the fishing vessel ''Astronaut'' was wrecked on the coast of Akutan Island in the Aleutian Islands. Her four crewmen reached shore and survived. Two skiffs – one each from the vessels ''Honey B'' and ''Menshikov'' – were wrecked trying to reach them; all four crewmen aboard the skiffs survived and joined ''Astronaut''s four crewmen on the beach. The fishing vessel ''American Star'' rescued four of them, and aircraft dropped tents and sleeping bags to the other four. Eventually, ''Citrus'' arrived on the scene and rescued them.alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (A)
/ref>

From 24 to 26 January 1968, the crew of ''Citrus'' fought a fire on the Japanese motor vessel ''Seifu Maru'' in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. On 9 August 1968, she assisted the distressed motor vessel ''Dantzler'' after ''Dantzler'' ran aground, and she escorted ''Dantzler'' from near Cook Inlet to Homer, Alaska.

On 1 April 1969, ''Citrus'' flew a patient from the fishing vessel ''Zulyo Maru'' off Alaska. On 8 May 1970, she towed the disabled fishing vessel ''Shirley Rose'' to Kodiak. On 20 October 1970, ''Citrus''s crew rescued 31 eople from the grounded ferry ''Tustumena'' near Kodiak.

On 19 January 1974 ''Citrus'' searched for missing crew members from the fishing trawler ''John and Olaf'' in the Gulf of Alaska.

On 27 February 1979, ''Citrus'' struck a submerged object in the Ouzinkie Narrows between Kodiak Island and Spruce Island. Although there were no casualties, the ship sustained significant damage. In March 1979 ''Citrus'' was converted into a medium-endurance cutter.

Medium-endurance cutter duty

Upon her conversion to a medium endurance cutter, ''Citrus'' home port was Coos Bay, Oregon. The cutter's mission was primarily law enforcement and search and rescue. Her primary law enforcement activities involved the boarding of domestic and foreign fishing vessels.

After attempting to send a boarding party for a drug search on 1 January 1985, ''Citrus'' was rammed by the Panamanian MV ''Pacific Star'' southwest of San Diego. ''Pacific Star'' was scuttled by its crew. Seven crewmen were rescued and of marijuana was seized.

Awards and honors

Throughout her 51 years of service, ''Citrus'' was decorated with four Unit Commendations, three Meritorious Unit Commendations, two Arctic Service Medals, the American Defense Medal, World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

Dominican Navy

''Citrus'' was initially transferred to the Mexican Navy, but delivery was refused in February 1995. ''Citrus'' was transferred to the Dominican Navy on 16 September 1995, and renamed ''Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta'' (C-456). It was rearmed with a 102 mm 45 caliber DP gun, two single Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, and four M60 machine guns. ''Acosta'' was decommissioned by the Dominican Navy in 2012.

References

External links

*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Citrus
Cactus-class seagoing buoy tenders
1942 ships
Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta
Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon
Ships built in Duluth, Minnesota