PORTLAND, Ore. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bluebell will be celebrating the ship’s 70th anniversary at Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland on Friday.
Commissioned on April 4, 1945, Bluebell has continually served the Pacific Northwest for the past 70 years.
Bluebell is a 100-foot, inland buoy tender, homeported in Portland. It is the second oldest ship in the Coast Guard and the oldest ship west of the Mississippi. The 15-member crew is responsible for maintaining more than 420 aids to navigation covering 500 miles of the Columbia, Willamette and Snake Rivers. Altogether, the Bluebell’s crew is responsible for 23 percent of the ATON in the Pacific Northwest.
Taking part in the ceremony will be past and present crewmembers of the Coast Guard Cutter Bluebell, and members of surrounding Coast Guard units.
