USCGC Bramble (WLB-392) Type: Seagoing Buoy Tender
Length: 180 feet
Address:
The Coast Guard Cutter Bramble was commissioned in 1944 at a cost of just over $925,000. She is one of 39 original 180-foot seagoing tenders built from 1942-1944. Following World War II, the Bramble participated in "Operation Crossroads," the first test of an atomic bomb's effect on surface ships, at Bikini Island. In 1957, along with the cutters Spar and Storis, she headed for the Northwest Passage, traveling through the Bearing Straits and Arctic Ocean. Traveling for 64 days through 4500 miles of partially uncharted waters, the vessels finally reached the Atlantic Ocean. These three surface vessels were the first to circumnavigate the North American Continent, an ambition mariners have had for more than 400 years. In 1962, the Bramble transferred to Detroit to perform the missions of maintenance of aids to navigation, search and rescue, icebreaking, and law enforcement throughout the Great Lakes. In 1975, the Bramble reported to Port Huron. The cutter's areas of responsibility included eastern Lake Erie, southern Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay, and maintaining 187 buoys, one NOAA weather buoy, and three fog signals. During winter months, its capabilities as an icebreaker enabled her to escort ships through ice and assist ships in distress. The Bramble was decommissioned in 2003 to be used as a museum.
 USCG Bramble during WW II Return to the HNSA Home Page.
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