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 The Coast Guard CutterBluebell sits moored along the Willamette River waterfront | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USCGCBluebell (WLI-313) |
| Commissioned | 4 April 1945 |
| Homeport | Portland, Oregon |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Rising to the Challenge Since 1945 |
| Status | In service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Inland buoy tender |
| Length | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Crew | 15 Active Duty, 5 Reserve |
USCGCBluebell (WLI-313) is aUnited States Coast Guardinland buoy tender based out of Portland, Oregon.
Bluebell was commissioned on April 4, 1945.[1] From 1945 to 1973Bluebell was stationed inVancouver, Washington.[2]Bluebell was moved toSwan Island inPortland, Oregon, in 1973, where she has remained since.Bluebell is classified as aninland buoy tender and is one of two 100-foot inland buoy tenders in service. The other, is the Coast Guard CutterBuckthorn (WLI-642) homeported in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
Bluebell is the second oldest cutter in the Coast Guard fleet, and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. The ship is home to a crew of 15 led by a chief warrant officer, with a chief petty officer as the second in command.[2]
As a buoy tender, the crew's primary mission is to ensure the safety of mariners by establishing and maintaining essential navigation aids along established waterways. The crew is responsible for maintaining more than 420 aids to navigation (ATONs) along 500 miles across theColumbia,Willamette andSnake Rivers. Altogether,Bluebell’s crew is responsible for 23 percent of theATONs in thePacific Northwest.[3]
