The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Juniper (WLB 201) return to Honolulu after completing a 45-day patrol in Oceania in support of Operation ‘Aiga, Oct. 1, 2021. The Juniper is a 225-foot Juniper-Class seagoing buoy tender home-ported in Honolulu, the crew is responsible for maintaining aids to navigation, performing maritime law enforcement, port, and coastal security, search and rescue and environmental protection. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Juniper)

Today I realized there was not a convenient listing of buoy tenders including their geographic distribution. Buoy Tenders, particularly the 2000 ton 225 foot WLBs, really are major units. They frequently do more than tend buoys. WLBs break ice in the NE, Great Lake, and Arctic districts. They have escorted WPCs on long voyages in PACAREA. WLMs can do just about anything WLBs can do and may stand in for WLBs when they are doing other types of work.

A major maintenance availability (MMA) program for the WLBs was completed 29 July, 2025. An MMA for the WLMs began a year ago when USCGC Ida Lewis, WLM-551, arrived at the Coast Guard Yard, 15 July, 2025. That probably means we can expect about one WLM homeport change per year.

I used the Navy League’s 2026 Almanac to prepare this list.

NE District

• Rockland, ME: WLM-553 Abbie Burgess
• Portland, ME: WLM-554 Marcus Hanna
• Newport, RI: WLB-209 Sycamore / WLB-211 Oak / WLM-551 Ida Lewis
• Bayonne, NJ: WLM-552 Catherine Walker

East District

• Philadelphia: WLM-560 William Tate
• Baltimore: WLM-555 James Rankin
• Portsmouth, VA: WLM-557 Frank Drew
• Atlantic Beach, NC: WLB-207 Maple

SE District

• Charleston, SC: WLB-202 Willow
• Atlantic Beach, FL: WLM-562 Maria Bray
• St Petersburg, FL: WLM-556 Joshua Appleby

Heartland District

• Pensacola, FL: WLB-205 Walnut
• Mobile, AL: WLM-559 Barbara Mabrity
• Galveston, TX: WLM-561 Harry Claiborne

Great Lakes District

• Duluth, Minn: WLB-206 Spar
• Port Huron, Michigan: WLB-215 Sequoia

SW District

• San Pedro, CA: WLM-564 George Cobb
• San Francisco: WLB-216 Alder

NW District

• Astoria, Ore: WLB-204 Elm
• Everett, WA: WLM-563 Henry Blake

Arctic District

• Ketchikan, AK: WLM-558 Anthony Petit
• Sika, AK: WLB-203 Kukui
• Cordova, AK: WLB-213 Fir
• Homer, AK: WLB-208 Aspen
• Kodiak, AK: WLB-210 Cypress

Oceania District

• Honolulu: WLB-201 Juniper / WLB-214 Hollyhock
• Apra Harbor, Guam: WLB-212 Hickory