The US Coast Guard cutter “Maple”, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender, has completed its historic voyage from Sitka, Alaska, to the US Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland, through the Northwest Passage.
This summer marks the 60th anniversary of three Coast Guard cutters and one Canadian ship that convoyed through the Northwest Passage, which are several passageways through the complex archipelago of the Canadian Arctic.
From May to September of 1957, the crews of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Storis, SPAR and Bramble, along with the crew of the Canadian ice breaker HMCS Labrador, charted, recorded water depths and installed aids to navigation for future shipping lanes.
As USCG informed, the Maple will now undergo scheduled maintenance in dry dock at the Coast Guard Yard for repairs and upgrades. The Maple’s crew will return to Sitka to take command of the 225-foot Coast Guard cutter Kukui, which was previously homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is currently completing a mid-life renovation at the Yard.
