USCGC Hollyhock (WLB-214)

USCGC Hollyhock (WLB-214) is a 225-foot (69 m) Juniper-class cutter of the United States Coast Guard.

Hollyhock was built by Marinette Marine Corporation of Marinette, WI, and was launched on January 25, 2003. Hollyhock is the 14th Juniper-class Seagoing Buoy Tender built out of 16 of in this class. The cutter is 225 feet long, has a beam of 46 feet and drafts 13 feet. She is powered by two 3,100 shp (2,300 kW) Caterpillar diesel engines, which powers a single controllable pitch propeller. Hollyhock is also equipped with bow and stern thrusters. She carries a crew of eight officers and 42 enlisted personnel. Hollyhock is currently assigned to Port Huron, MI., as its home port.

Hollyhock replaced the previous cutter stationed in Port Huron, USCGC Bramble, which retired after 60 years of service. Hollyhock is designed as a multi-mission vessel, with its missions being aids to navigation, icebreaking, search and rescue, homeland security, law enforcement and marine environmental protection.

On January 5, 2014, the Hollyhock was involved in a collision with the lake vessel Mesabi Miner while conducting ice breaking operations 22 nautical miles west of the Mackinac Bridge. The Hollyhock was leading the Mesabi Miner and five other freighters into Lake Michigan when it ran into thicker ice and had difficulty continuing ahead. The 1,004-foot-long Mesabi Miner, the first merchant vessel in the convoy, was unable to slow quickly enough to avoid striking the stern of the Hollyhock. No injuries or pollution resulted from the accident. The Mesabi Miner carried on with her voyage to Gary, IN, while the Hollyhock was escorted to St. Ignace, MI, by the USCGC Biscayne Bay.

In 2021, Hollyhock is expected to leave the Great Lakes for good as she travels to Baltimore, MD, to begin midlife maintenance availability (MMA) as part of the In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program. The MMA work on the tenders includes an overhaul of the deck equipment and weight handling gear, updates to the machinery control system and HVAC systems, topside preservation and a stability assessment. It is currently unclear on what Juniper-class cutter will replace the Hollyhock in Port Huron.

Written by Jacob Northup.