JUNIPER - THE NEW UNITED-STATES COAST GUARD BUOY TENDER

In early 1990, the U.S. Coast Guard embarked on a major program to replace its fifty-year-old seagoing buoy tender fleet by requesting proposals for designs that would meet the Circular of Requirements (COR) for the replacement cutter. Subsequently, three shipyards were awarded contracts to develop contract designs and specifications for the vessel. On 28 january 1993, Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) was awarded a contract for construction of the Juniper, the lead ship of the new class of Coast Guard seagoing buoy tenders. From even a cursory examination of the COR, while buoy tending remains the Juniper's primary mission, she will serve as a multi-mission vessel capable of recovering spilled oil, performing icebreaking, servicing fixed stations and other vessels with fuel, water and cargo, as well as conducting search and rescue and law enforcement operations. This paper lists the requirements and describes the resulting successful design that meets these requirements and has been designated the Juniper class by the U.S. Coast Guard.