On April 21, 2004 the U.S. Coast Guard will officially accept the Coast Guard Cutter SEQUOIA. The cutter was launched into the Menominee River at Marinette Marine Corporation on August 23, 2003 and has since been undergoing outfitting and sea trials. This date marks the first day the ship's crew will take responsibility for the cutter and the cutter will be placed into a temporary “In-Commission Special” status. The cutter's official commissioning will take place at her homeport of Apra Harbor, Guam.
Coast Guard Cutter SEQUOIA is the fifteenth Juniper Class
Seagoing Buoy Tender and the tenth “B Class” cutter built by Marinette Marine Corporation. Currently the Coast Guard has contracted for eleven “B Class” cutters. The “B Class” cutters will join the five “A Class” cutters built by Marinette Marine that are operating worldwide
SEQUOIA’s primary missions are Aids to Navigation, Marine Environmental Protection, Search and Rescue, and Domestic Ice Breaking. The principal characteristics of SEQUOIA are: Length: 225 ft, Beam: 46 ft, Draft: 13 ft, and Displacement: 2,000 Long Tons. The major equipment aboard SEQUOIA will be 2 Caterpillar 3608, 3100 Brake Horse Power Engines for propulsion which will power a single shaft, Bird Johnson Controllable Pitch Propeller; a Bow and Stern thruster, which provide 460 and 550 Horsepower respectively; in addition to one 20 Ton Hydraulic 60 foot telescoping beam Appleton Crane. Power generation is to be provided by 2 Caterpillar 3508, 450 kilowatts generators.