USCGC Hollyhock (WLB-214)

The USCGC Hollyhock (WLB-214) is a Juniper-class seagoing buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Homeported in Port Huron, Michigan, she is responsible for maintaining aids to navigation on the Great Lakes, specifically within the Saint Lawrence Seaway System.

Hollyhock’s primary mission is maintaining buoys and other aids to navigation, ensuring safe maritime passage. This involves deploying, retrieving, and servicing navigational aids, as well as responding to distress calls and conducting search and rescue operations within her area of responsibility. In addition to her primary mission, Hollyhock is capable of performing icebreaking operations during the winter months, keeping vital waterways open for commerce. She is also involved in law enforcement activities, environmental protection, and homeland security operations.

The ship is equipped with a dynamic positioning system (DPS) that allows it to maintain a precise position while working buoys, even in challenging weather conditions. She has a reinforced hull for icebreaking and is equipped with a crane capable of lifting buoys weighing up to 40 tons. Hollyhock's crew typically consists of approximately 30 personnel, including officers and enlisted members with expertise in navigation, engineering, and deck operations.