The Long Blue Line: Smilax—the Coast Guard’s “Queen of the Fleet”!

The USCGC Smilax (WLIC 315) celebrated its 80^th anniversary in November 2024. Commissioned in 1944, not long after the D-Day landings at Normandy, Smilax is the oldest active Coast Guard cutter and more than 25 years older than the Navy’s oldest actively deployed ship.

An Inland Construction Tender or WLIC, Smilax was recognized as the “Queen of the Fleet” in 2011, after her predecessor, Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet, was decommissioned after 67 years of service. This title is symbolized by the application of gold numbers to the hull of the current Queen of the Fleet.

Homeported in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, Smilax is superseded in age by only two U.S. vessels, the vintage sailing vessel USS Constitution and Coast Guard sail training ship, Barque Eagle. Constitution was commissioned in 1797 and the Eagle in 1936. Obviously, as a U.S. Navy vessel, Constitution does not qualify as the Coast Guard’s Queen of the Fleet and the Eagle was originally commissioned into the German navy before World War II, which prevents its qualification. After the war, in 1946, Eagle was brought to the U.S. and commissioned into the Coast Guard.

At one hundred feet long, Smilax was built by Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works of Dubuque, Iowa. The tender’s keel was laid in November 1943, and it entered service after being commissioned on November 1, 1944. Smilax was designed with twin screws with a cruising range of nearly 2,000 miles.

Smilax’s first homeport was Fort Pierce, Florida, where it was used for aids-to-navigation (ATON) duty only. After World War II, the tender remained in Fort Pierce. However, from 1954 until 1965, Smilax was re-positioned to New Smyrna Beach, Florida. During its time in Florida, Smilax assisted in several notable search and rescue cases. In 1950, it assisted the grounded fishing vessel Ava Maria near St. Augustine, Florida. In 1953, the tender assisted the disabled yacht Mimosa at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. And, in 1956, Smilax assisted the yacht Quest, aground at St. Augustine.

In the mid-1960s, 20 years into its service life, Smilax was fitted with new engines and re-designated WLI-315. In addition, the tender received a 70-foot detachable work barge equipped with a powerful crane and diesel-operated pile driving hammer for installing and maintaining fixed aids in the water. Smilax has retained its work barge ever since.

In 1965, Smilax was re-assigned to the homeport of Brunswick, Georgia, where it continued ATON work. There, the tender repaired and serviced aids to navigation from the Savannah River to the St. Mary’s River and buoys in St. Augustine and Ponce de Leon inlets. Smilax’s operational area included 92 buoys, 200 day beacons, and 150 lights. In 1979, the tender was re-designated as a WLIC.

In 1999, after serving diligently for over 30 years along the Georgia coast, Smilax continued her northward migration and relieved CGC Primrose of its duties in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Since then, Smilax has supported the Coast Guard District East ATON mission with responsibility for constructing and rebuilding 1,226 fixed aids along the Intracoastal Waterway of North Carolina and northern South Carolina. This challenging area of operation is known for narrow passages and depths that can average less than six feet deep. In addition to its fixed-aids, Smilax is responsible for 26 floating aids located throughout the treacherous inlets of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. With its 70-foot barge and crane, Smilax is well-suited for the shallow and shifting waters in its area.

Throughout its history, the crew of the Smilax has engaged in various missions beyond navigation support. They have assisted with search and rescue operations and even salvaged several cannons and barrel hoops from Queen Anne’s Revenge, the legendary pirate ship captained by Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard.

Proudly serving mariners for over 80 years from southern Florida to Virginia, Smilax represents an incredible return on investment for the American people. The tender is part of an aging fleet of inland construction tenders dedicated to maintaining the nation’s aids-to-navigation system and serves as a vital federal presence on inland waterways. Soon, a fleet of 30 new WCC tenders, known as the Chief Petty Officer class, will replace Smilax and other aging inland tenders.

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