This is the Cutter Citrus taken in 1954, I came aboard Christmas of 1958 fresh out of boot camp in Cape May NJ. She was home ported out of Ketchikan Alaska, it was a 2 year assignment and President Eisenhower signed the Statehood Act in July of 1958 allowing Alaska to become the 49th state January 3rd 1959. Lots of parades and celebrations that year! The radio room was up on the super structure behind the bridge. W8SU

This was my home away from home, in 1958 I was age 17, assigned to Alaska in the Coast Guard. My first duty was an ocean going tender the Cutter Citrus - radio call NRPQ -- It was a good billet for a young single guy and when underway we had a 500 kc distress watch, and two HF freq with the district primary Radsta NMJ in Ketchikan. We were out in the region most of the time working aids to navigation, search and rescue missions and medical emergencies. I remember the VLF receiver would copy NPG and NSS very loud and it was a good source of code practice.

We had some nifty equipment - R390s and Collins 51J4 receivers and two HF/ medium Freq military transmitters. The unit far right was a crystal controlled 200 watt MacKayHF rig we used on cw. The other unit was the old standby "TDE" that I would fire up on 80 and 40 meters. Once in a while we could work back east on 80 meters in the winter time.

The Citrus lasted a long time and eventually was home ported out of Kodiak Alaska and then in the 80s Astoria Oregon. She is decommissioned and now operated by, I believe the country of Dominican Republic. Fond memories of almost 50 years ago.
Courtesy of W8SU

USCGC Citrus (WAGL-300/WLB-300/WMEC-300) was a Cactus (A)-class seagoing buoy tender built in 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota, and now operated by the navy of the Dominican Republic.

During World War II, the 180-foot ship helped build LORAN stations on the Aleutian Islands. From 1945 to 1979, Citrus largely helped maintain aids to navigation in Alaskan waters. In 1980, she was converted into a medium-endurance cutter homeported at Coos Bay, Oregon.

In 1995, after 51 years' service, it was transferred to the Dominican Navy, which commissioned it the Almirante Juan Alejandro Acosta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Citrus_(WLB-300)
Courtesy of W5KNE

Photos courtesy of W8SU
Info courtesy of W8SU, W5KNE