The Oak and Hawthorn were two 160-foot buoy tenders built for the U.S. Lighthouse Services in 1921. The Oak was based out of St. George, Staten Island, and was decommissioned in 1964. It was then transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1967, where it later was put on display in the Museum of American History. The Hawthorn was based out of New London, Connecticut, and memorably came to aid during the collision of the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm in 1956. The Hawthorn was decommissioned in 1964 and sold in 1965.
This collection is available to the public by appointment at the Steamship Historical Society. Objects that are fragile, significant, or require additional tools to access may require archivist assistance.
Use, reproduction, and/or publication of archival material is prohibited without prior approval of the Steamship Historical Society. Fees and/or restrictions may apply. Please contact the SSHSA archivist, Astrid Drew, at adrew@sshsa.org for more information.
United States Coast Guard Ship Plans Collection, 2000.01, Steamship Historical Society of America.
The U.S. Coast Guard Ship Plans collection primarily comprises ship plans and ship specifications for naval, coast guard, and merchant vessels. Plans and specifications for the lighthouse tenders Oak and Hawthorn are also included. Many of the plans and specifications are related to the US Maritime Commission, which commissioned and converted merchant ships beginning in 1936.
This collection is arranged by series.
This collection was donated by Robert M. Browning, Jr., Historians Office Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters on March 10, 2000.
Collection inventoried by Capt. Eric Takakjian. Finding aid created by Tessa Mediano, Assistant Archivist, in April 2023.