Acushnet Homecoming

The Mighty Acushnet was recently welded to the pier in Juneau, Alaska. I took Mother Earth and the girls down for a tour of the mighty warship. She now holds the title of "Queen of the Fleet", an honor the U.S. Coast Guard places on their oldest commissioned cutter. Granted she was the U.S. Navy's before she was ours as the USS Shackle, a salvage ship. The ACU has been designated three different ship or hull types in her lifetime: WAT (I believe this signifies salvage ship for the Navy or did at one time), WAGB (Ice Breaker or Arctic Glacier Breaker as they taught in basic), and finally WMEC (Medium Endurance Cutter), same as the CGC Diligence, right Ozone?

Either way, the girls were pretty quiet, but enthused to be on Daddy's old ship. Juice Box, my oldest daughter, said, "Dad, your ship is really small". I told her all crewman on board have to be 6' tall to sail the majestic craft. The comment refers to the requirement for all Guardmen to be at least 6' tall, in case the ship sinks. That way, one could walk ashore.

Cutter Acushnet is now some 63 years old. She looks at least as good as any other 210' Medium Endurance Cutter still punching holes in the water.

Best part was dashing out from work for a short run the other day and catching her pulling away from the small boat station Juneau moorings. An enormous cloud of diesel exhaust billowed from the stack as she backed down. The Juneau skies were a brilliant blue and as Acushnet turned to head south in Gastineau Channel, this long, white smoke cloud trailed down the channel ahead of her for at least a mile. Made me laugh out loud. I remember all those patrols sweeping up chunks of black soot blown loose from the stack onto the fantail. Sometimes, I'd get a chunk in my coffee and then I'd be really mad. Good thing I wasn't burdened with a broom AND having to hold my cup of joe. The BM3 had to be the eyes and the ears of all physical labor on board, but never the actual hands.

Nanook