A Ketchikan fixture, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Planetree (WLB-307), will be decommissioned and retired from service on March 19, 1999. The 180-foot bouy tender was commissioned during World War II, served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and was assigned to Ketchikan in 1985.
The Coast Guard Cutter PLANETREE was one of six Alaska-based 180-foot "Balsam"-Class Buoy Tenders. PLANETREE's primary mission is servicing Aids to Navigation.
Her crew of about 60 maintained 254 aids in the area stretching from Dixon Entrance to Juneau.
The ship's overall length was 180 feet. It had a beam-width of 37-feet, and a navigational draft of eighteen feet. PLANETREE's maximum speed was 13.5 knots. The ship's boom could lift up to 20-tons.
The Aids to Navigation serviced by PLANETREE assist navigators in determining their positions, warn of dangers and obstructions, and promote safety for all types of vessels. PLANETREE's mission also includes Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement and Readiness.
