USCGC Conifer ( WLB - 301 ) The USCGC " Conifer " ( WLB 301 ) was a 180 foot ( 55 m ) seagoing buoy tender . " Conifer " and her sister ships , commonly referred to as " one - eighties " , served as the backbone of the Coast Guard ' s Aids to Navigation fleet for over 50 years before their replacement by the newer " Juniper " - class cutters . Background and ship development . " Conifer " s heritage can be traced back to the late 1930s , when the United States Lighthouse Service initiated a series of preliminary designs for a ship to replace their aging fleet of lighthouse tenders . The tenders were designed to provide logistics support ( fuel , fresh water , and food ) to manned off - shore lighthouses . They were also equipped to service the relatively few buoys in operation at that time . In 1940 the Lighthouse Service merged into the Coast Guard ( The Coast Guard was formed in 1913 when the U . S . Revenue Service was combined with the U . S . Life Saving Service ) . The Coast Guard amended the tender designs to include Search and Rescue ( SAR ) features and an icebreaking capability , making them the first true " multi - mission " capable cutters . The SAR requirements provided finer design lines at the bow and stern , and a reduced beam to length ratio . A larger deckhouse was incorporated to increase the available interior space . Single screw propulsion , a cutaway forefoot under the bow , and rounded bilges facilitated ice - breaking . The hull displacement was . To reduce costs , on available off - the - shelf technology was utilized . The contract for the lead ship was awarded to Zenith Dredge Company of Duluth , Minnesota , in January 1941 . The new class of Cutter was originally designated " WAGL " and was later changed to " WLB " . The " W " is the navy ' s abbreviation or " Coast Guard " , the " L " designates it as a lighthouse / buoy tender , and the " B " signifies it as a seagoing tender . The Coast Guard also operates three smaller classes of buoy tenders : WLM ' s ( Coastal ) , WLI ' s ( Inland ) , and WLR ' s ( River ) . During the next 3 years the Coast Guard acquired a total of 39 WLB ' s : 17 built by Zenith , 21 were built by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding , also located in Duluth , and one was built at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore , Maryland . Three different classes of WLB ' s were built : thirteen " A " ( or Cactus ) class , six " B " ( or Mesquite ) class , and twenty " C " ( or Iris ) class . Tenders are assigned botanical names , a tradition that stems back to 1867 . Construction and specifications . " Conifer " was the fifth " A " class WLB constructed . The procurement contract with Marine Iron and Shipbuilding was signed on 23 February 1942 , for a cost of $ 854 , 003 . The keel was laid on 6 July . Three months later , on 3 November , " Conifer " was launched at exactly 1200 hours . " Conifer " s engineering plant consisted of two Cooper - Bessemer straight - 8 cylinder , 4 - cycle diesel engines . Because of their distinctive rumble , the Coopers were referred to as the " rock - crushers " . Each diesel drove a Westinghouse DC generator . The DC electricity powered a single Westinghouse main - motor , which was coupled directly to the propeller shaft . The 5 - bladed prop measured 8 ft 6 in ( 2 . 59 m ) in diameter . The cargo boom and hoist winches were electric powered . The boat davits were hand - cranked , while the falls were fair - led to the aft towing capstan . " Conifer " was armed with a three - inch ( 76 mm ) 50 caliber deck gun , four 20 millimeter 80 caliber anti - aircraft machine guns , and two racks of depth charges . " Conifer " was placed in Commission , Special Status , on 5 May 1943 . Final outfitting and machinery tests were completed on 24 May . " Conifer " sailed across the Great Lakes and through the St . Lawrence Seaway en route to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore , Maryland . The electronics package of HF radios , radar , and sonar was installed at the Yard . She sailed for shakedown training on 24 July 1943 , with a full wartime complement of 6 officers and 74 crewmen . On 31 July " Conifer " arrived in Boston , her first homeport . Service History . 1943 - 1945 ( Wartime Service ) . On 9 August 1943 " Conifer " was assigned to Commander , Task Force 24 , Atlantic Fleet , U . S . Navy . On 13 August " Conifer " sailed on anti - submarine and weather station deployments in the North Atlantic . " Conifer " steamed as far south as Bermuda , east to the Azore Islands off Africa , and north into the icepacks of Greenland . On 8 August 1943 , while underway in the North Atlantic " Conifer " observed a German U - boat diving . Using sonar she located a possible sub , and attacked with depth charges . The contact was later lost . On 28 September 1944 " Conifer " was underway at night off the coast of Greenland . When threatened with imminent attack from a Canadian B - 24 bomber , " Conifer " s gun crews were prepared to open fire when the aircraft finally responded to radio communications . On 30 September 1944 " Conifer " conducted a search with a B - 17 and a B - 24 for a damaged German submarine . The planes located an oil slick , and " Conifer " depth - charged the area . Additional oil appeared through the day , and the submarine was presumed sunk . On 24 January 1945 , " Conifer " was assigned to Commander , Fifth Coast Guard District . On 2 February she was ordered to Chesapeake Bay to support convoy operations . On 1 May 1945 , " Conifer " arrived in her new homeport , Portsmouth , Virginia . Her primary mission was to service aids to navigation along the southern Virginia and northern North Carolina coasts . 1952 - 1983 . In August 1952 " Conifer " s homeport was changed to Morehead City , North Carolina . In September 1960 , " Conifer " moved back to Portsmouth , VA . On 11 June 1975 , " Conifer " was once again assigned to Morehead City , NC . " Conifer " s area of operation was modified to include the entire coast of North Carolina , and the re - supply of the Diamond Shoals and Frying Pan Shoals lightships . When required , " Conifer " broke ice in the Chesapeake Bay . 1983 - 1986 Overhaul . On 16 July 1983 , " Conifer " arrived at the Coast Guard Yard . She was temporarily decommissioned , and commenced a $ 7 . 5 million overhaul under the Service Life Extension Program ( SLEP ) . Many noteworthy improvements were accomplished during the SLEP . The deckhouse was removed , and the hull was essentially gutted down to the keel . " Conifer " received new main engines and ship ' s service generators , a new electrical system , and a new interior climate control system . The interior spaces were reconfigured . The forward tanks were reduced in size , and the forward cargo hold was eliminated to make a space for additional berthing areas , a crew ' s lounge , and boatswain , electrical , damage control , and electronics shops . A bow thruster was installed . The electrical weight - handling gear was replaced with a hydraulic system . Hydraulic boat davits were installed , and the motor surf boat was replaced by a rigid hull inflatable ( RHI ) . A new deckhouse was constructed with a larger pilothouse and a radio room . Six pieces of original equipment were re - installed : the anchor windlass ; the mast ; the ship ' s bell ; the helm wheel ; the main motor ; and the steering gear . " Conifer " two new main engines were General Motors Electromotive Division V - 8 two cycle diesel engines . They are the same engines employed in diesel freight trains . Each cylinder displaces 645 in ( 10 . 6 L ) . Each engine is conservatively rated at 1050 hp ( 783 kW ) , and produces an impressive of torque . The diesels rotate Westinghouse DC generators , which produce 275 volts 1650 amperes . A propulsion control computer regulates the ratio of volts to current delivered to the electric main propulsion motor . The main motor is rated at 1200 hp ( 890 kW ) . With the exception of minor preventive maintenance and scheduled cleanings , the main motor has worked continuously for 50 years . Conifer had other diesel engines : two turbo - charged Detroit Diesel / Johnson & Towers 6 - 71s powering the 200 kW ship ' s service generators ; one Detroit turbo - charged 8V - 71 powering four hydraulic pumps for the cargo boom ; and a Detroit 6 - 71 powering the bow thruster . The Motor Cargo Boat was powered by a Detroit 3 - 53 , and the rigid hull inflatable features a turbo - charged Volvo Penta engine and out drive . 1986 - 2000 ( Final service with the Coast Guard ) . On 11 August 1986 , " Conifer " was re - commissioned as a United States Coast Guard cutter . On 4 October 1986 , " Conifer " was assigned to Commander , Eleventh Coast Guard District , and arrived in San Pedro , California . Here she carried out her traditional duties until her decommissioning on 23 June 2000 . 2000 - present ( F / V " Hope " ) . " Conifer " is now the F / V " Hope " , part of the disaster relief fleet of Friend Ships .