March 7, 2003
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter (USCGC) Oak (WLB 211) was officially commissioned as a seagoing buoy tender. This type of Coast Guard vessel is primarily used to maintain navigational floating aids. USCGC Oak made history as the first Coast Guard vessel to be commissioned after this federal uniformed service was incorporated into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The formal transfer of operational control of the Coast Guard from the U.S. Department of Transportation to DHS had taken place only six days earlier.
USCGC Oak was built by Marinette Marine Corporation and launched on January 26, 2002, at that company’s shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. The vessel’s sponsor for this ceremony was Winifred “Billye” Brown, the wife of U.S. Congressman Henry E. Brown of South Carolina. USCGC Oak was initially assigned to Charleston, South Carolina, as her home port. Since 2016, however, this 225-foot (69-meter)-long cutter has instead been home ported at Newport, Rhode Island.
Along with serving as a seagoing buoy tender, USCGC Oak has been equipped to carry out a wide range of other tasks as well. These tasks include search-and-rescue missions; the enforcement of maritime law; icebreaking operations; and environmental protection efforts. In addition, the crew of USCGC Oak provides support as needed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the maintenance of its offshore weather buoys.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on USCGC Oak (WLB 211), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Oak
Transportation History 
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