USCGC Fir (WLM-212)

Infobox nrhp
name = USCGC "Fir"
nrhp_type = nhl


caption =
location = Across Sacramento River from Rio Vista, Sacramento County, California
nearest_city =
area =
built =
architect =
architecture =
designated = April 27, 1992cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2141&ResourceType=Structure
title=FIR (Lighthouse Tender)|date=2007-09-14|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = April 27, 1992cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
refnum=92001880
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum = 92001880
mpsub =
governing_body = COAST GUARD

USCGC "Fir" (WLM-212) is a convert|174|ft|m|sing=on ship that was recently available for sale. The ship was a cutter of the United States Coast Guard. She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992. At that time, "Fir" was to be moored in Staten Island, New York.

There is successor ship also named "Fir", USCGC "Fir" (WLB-213), currently in active use by the Coast Guard, which is a convert|225|ft|m|sing=on cutter. [Oregonian article of 3/4/2008] Its hull number is WLB-213 and it was launched in ____ and is based in Astoria, Oregon. [ [http://www.uscg.mil/d13/fir/default.htm U.S. Coast Guard, about old and new "Fir" cutters.] ] USCGC "Fir" has had a varied career.cite web | accessdate= 2008-01-12
url=http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/nhl/fir.htm
title="U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fir (WLM 212) National Historic Landmark Study"
author= Ralph Shanks | date=1991 | publisher=National Park Service]

This lighthouse tender was the last working vessel in the fleet of the United States Lighthouse Service, the ancestors of today's Coast Guard buoy tenders.

Built in 1938 and decommissioned in 1991, it is today the last surviving example of its type, and remains largely unmodified. As a National Historic Landmark, "Fir" was previously listed as being located in California and New Yorkcite web | last = National Park Service | first = | authorlink = National Park Service | coauthors = | title = National Historic Landmark Program: NHL Database | work = | publisher = | date = | url = http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/default.cfm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-11-13 ] , but there's no other evidence suggesting that it was ever moved to the East coast.cite web | last = National Park Service | first = | authorlink = National Park Service | title = National Register Information System | url = http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/research/nris.htm | accessdate = 2007-11-04 ]

The National Historic Landmark program (incorrectly) records the Fir as being in Staten Island, New York.Citation | last = National Park Service | first = | author-link = National Park Service | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | year = 2007 | date = April 2007 | title = National Historic Landmarks Survey: List of National Historic Landmarks by State | place = | publisher = | edition = | volume = | id = | isbn = | url = http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/designations/Lists/LIST07.pdf | accessdate = 2007-05-20. Note this source document excluded the USCGC "Fir" from Washington and California, and lists it at its once intended home in Staten Island, New York.]

quote|"After decommissioning, Fir remained in Seattle for many years while efforts were made to turn her into a floating museum. When these efforts failed, she was transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) facility, Suisun Bay, California, in 1997. Her shafts and rudder locked, she was towed convert|930|mi|km from Seattle by CGC Mariposa to San Francisco's Golden Gate, where she was met by a commercial tug that towed her the rest of the way to Suisun Bay. Significant objects were removed from the vessel and stored at the U.S. Coast Guard facility in Forestville, Maryland."cite web | accessdate= 2008-01-12
url= http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Fir_1940.html
title= Fir (WAGL / WLM-212)
date= October 2002 | publisher= United States Coast Guard ]

In 2002, she was transferred to the Liberty Maritime Museum, and towed to the Port of Sacramento.fact|date=March 2008

In 2003, Fir was towed to Rio Vista, California, [ [http://libertymaritime.com/firpic.htm Liberty Maritime Museum photos of towing to Rio Vista in May 2003] ] where it was moored on the Sacramento River on the eastern, Sacramento County side of the river, across from Rio Vista (which is in Solano County). It remains there today.

In November 2007, the "Fir" was put up for sale. [http://libertymaritime.com/update.htm November 2007 Fir put up for sale] ] The Fir, a National Historic Landmark, was for sale with asking price $95,000. [ [http://libertymaritime.com/fir1.htm Lighthouse Tender FIR (WLM-212) Now for Sale!] ] The mailing address for the museum is in Sacramento, but the ship is physically located across the river from Rio Vista at 38.149758 N, 121.68317W [ [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=&daddr=38.149758,-121.68317&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=18&sll=38.149779,-121.683192&sspn=0.001514,0.003331&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=18 Google Maps view of the Fir] ] . In May 2008, the webpage reports "Fir is sold!".

References

External links

* [http://s255.photobucket.com/albums/hh152/LibertyMaritime/ One hundred photos of "Fir"] , taken inside and out in January 2008