USCGC Ida Lewis
Below is a news release from the Acquisition Directorate (CG-9) about the next class of ships that will go through the “In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program,” the 175 foot, 840 ton, Ida Lewis or “Keeper” class 175 foot Coastal Buoy Tenders.
“…the primary objective of the MMA is to ensure that the 14 tenders reach the end of their 30-year designed service life…The 175-foot coastal buoy tenders were commissioned between 1996 and 2000. Work on the first hull, Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis, is scheduled to begin in July 2025 at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore. The estimated project completion date for all 14 cutters is early 2036.”
There is a bit of double speak there, in that the program will not be finished until well after the “30-year designed service life” of all 14 tenders. Even in the case of the first ship, USCGC Ida Lewis, she will have been in commission more than 28 years by the time her MMA starts and possibly 29 years before it is completed.
Obviously, these ships are expected to serve well past 30 years. That is not an unreasonable assumption. Many of the 180-foot WLBs built during WWII served more than 50 years, with the last, USCGC Acacia, decommissioned in 2006.
Nevertheless, with it taking 10 years from initial requirements to commissioning for new classes of ships, and both classes of large buoy tenders rapidly approaching 30 years in commission, it does seem like it may be time to start thinking about replacements.
Coast Guard awards contract for work on coastal buoy tenders
A 175-foot coastal buoy tender sets up a security zone for an event in San Francisco Bay. The 14 Keeper-class tenders will undergo a major maintenance availability starting in 2025. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory Mendenhall.
The Coast Guard awarded a contract to Adrick Marine Group of Cocoa, Florida, March 23 to procure HVAC systems as part of the upcoming 175-foot coastal buoy tender major maintenance availability (MMA). The contract has a total potential value of $5 million and supports continued operation of these Coast Guard surface assets through the remainder of each cutter’s expected service life.
This follows another important MMA contract awarded Dec. 19, 2022, for the main crane and central hydraulic system that was awarded to Appleton Marine of Appleton, Wisconsin, for $18.8 million.
A project of the In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program, the primary objective of the MMA is to ensure that the 14 tenders reach the end of their 30-year designed service life. MMA work facilitates fleet maintenance and increased mission availability during a cutter’s later years of service. MMA work focuses on hull and structural repairs and the replacement of obsolete, unsupportable or maintenance-intensive equipment.
The 175-foot coastal buoy tenders were commissioned between 1996 and 2000. Work on the first hull, Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis, is scheduled to begin in July 2025 at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore. The estimated project completion date for all 14 cutters is early 2036.
Coastal buoy tenders play a vital role in directing the traffic of the nation’s Marine Transportation System and support the U.S. economy by maintaining aids to navigation critical in facilitating the safe and efficient flow of over $5.4 trillion worth of goods annually. These cutters also support the Coast Guard in various other missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, migrant interdiction, marine safety inspections, environmental protection and natural resources management. Keeper-class cutters are also used for light ice breaking operations.
For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program page
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