USCGC Juniper ( WLB - 201 ) USCGC " Juniper " ( WLB - 201 ) is the lead ship of the U . S . Coast Guard ' s seagoing buoy tender s . She is outfitted with some of the most advanced technological and navigational capabilities currently available . Predecessors . Her namesake , the first " Juniper " , was commissioned into the U . S . Lighthouse Service ( USLHS ) back in 1903 . The USLHS was its own uniformed service completely separate from the Coast Guard , which up until 1915 was the Revenue Cutter Service . " Juniper " , homeported in Newport , Rhode Island , was responsible for resupplying lighthouses and maintaining navigational buoys in the Chesapeake Bay until its decommissioning in 1932 . While comparatively small at 95 feet long and 125 tons , " Juniper " was of solid construction and served as a civilian cargo vessel out of Norfolk up until 1979 . In late 1930s , the USLHS constructed the second " Juniper " . The USLHS was absorbed into the Coast Guard in 1939 , and the Juniper was designated a Coastal Buoy Tender , WLM 224 . WLM 224 was a twin screw ( propeller ) , diesel electric vessel . She became the rough prototype for the 180 ' class of ocean - going buoy tenders , designated WLB . The WLM 224 " Juniper " operated out of St . Petersburg , Florida . She serviced aids to navigation all along the gulf coast of Florida , including Fort Jefferson National Monument . Juniper was decommissioned in 1975 . WLB - 201 . The advances made from the 180 foot vintage seagoing buoytenders to the current " Juniper " class are all - encompassing . The current " Juniper " is much larger at 225 feet and 2000 tons , and was the first cutter to fully leverage and implement many technological advances such as electronic charting , position keeping , and remote engineering monitoring and control . " Juniper " is also designed to skim and recover oil in the event of an oil spill . " Juniper ' s " Integrated Ship Control System has an Electronic Charting Display and Information System ( ECDIS ) which enables fixing her position to within five meters every second . Her Dynamic Positioning System ( DPS ) uses this positioning information , the ship ' s controllable pitch propeller , and the stern and bow thrusters to keep the ship on station without any human input . These systems allow " Juniper " and her crew to work more buoys in less time , more efficiently and safely , and in tougher environmental conditions than her predecessors . " Juniper ' s " Machinery Plant Control and Monitoring System ( MPCMS ) has over 1000 sensors throughout the ship . This system makes it possible for one person in the engineroom control center to monitor the ship ’ s plant while underway . " Juniper " and her crew are adept at handling various missions such as aids to navigation , law enforcement , homeland security , ice breaking , environmental pollution response , and search and rescue . " Juniper " assisted in the recovery operations following the crashes of TWA Flight 800 and Egypt Air 990 . She also participated in anti - terrorist and force protection operations in New York immediately after the September 11 , 2001 attacks . On February 3 , 2007 , " Juniper " participated in reef building efforts off New Jersey , deploying 160 , 000 pounds of concrete sinkers recovered from old buoy markers to aid in the recovery of local fish populations .