USCGC Bittersweet

	Bittersweet in Estonian service as Valvas.
History
United States
Name	Bittersweet
Builder	Zenith Dredge Company, Duluth, Minnesota
Cost	$926,769
Laid down	16 September 1943
Launched	11 November 1943
Commissioned	11 May 1944
Decommissioned	18 August 1997
Reclassified	WAGL-389 to WLB-389, 1965
Identification	Call sign: NODH
Fate	Transferred to Estonia, 5 September 1997
Estonia
Name	Valvas
Operator	Estonian Border Guard
Acquired	5 September 1997
Decommissioned	11 July 2014
Identification	IMO number: 6117581; Hull number: PVL-109;
Status	Undergoing preservation to be a museum ship
General characteristics
Class and type	Iris-class buoy tender
Displacement	1945 :; 935 long tons (950 t) full load; 1966 :; 700 long tons (711 t) light; 1,026 long tons (1,042 t) full load;
Length	180 ft (55 m) o/a; 170 ft (52 m) p/p;
Beam	37 ft 1 in (11.30 m)
Draft	1945 : 12 ft (3.7 m); 1966 : 14 ft 7 in (4.45 m);
Propulsion	Diesel-electric; 2 × Cooper Bessemer-type GND-8, 4-cycle diesel engines; 2 × Westinghouse generators; 1 × electric motor; 1 × screw;
Speed	Maximum :; 1945 : 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph); 1966 : 11.9 knots (22.0 km/h; 13.7 mph); Economic :; 1945 : 8.3 knots (15.4 km/h; 9.6 mph); 1966 : 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph);
Range	12,000 nmi (22,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph); 17,000 nmi (31,000 km) at 8.3 kn (15.4 km/h; 9.6 mph);
Complement	1945 : 6 officers, 74 enlisted; 1962 : 3 officers, 2 warrants, 42 enlisted;
Sensors and ; processing systems	1945 :; SL-1 radar; WEA sonar;
Armament	1 × 3"/50 caliber gun; 2 × 20 mm guns; 2 × Mousetrap anti-submarine rocket launchers; 2 × Depth charge tracks; 4 × Y-gun depth charge projectors (1945);

USCGC Bittersweet (WLB 389) was a C or Iris-class 180-foot buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard.

Built by the Zenith Dredge Company of Duluth, Minnesota, the ship was laid down on 16 September 1943, and launched on 11 November 1943.

Based at Kodiak, she carried out numerous search and rescue operations, fought fires, delivered medical supplies, and enforced fishing laws.

Bittersweet was then stationed at Woods Hole, Massachusetts and used for ATON and icebreaking. In addition she took part in oil spill cleanup operations and also participated in the International Ice Patrol.

Bittersweet was decommissioned on 18 August 1997, and given to Estonia. Renamed Valvas, the ship served in the Estonian Border Guard until it was decommissioned in July 2014 and given to the Estonian Maritime Museum. It is to become a museum ship.

Design

The Iris-class buoy tenders were constructed after the Mesquite-class buoy tenders. Bittersweet cost $926,769 to construct and had an overall length of 180 feet (55 m). It had a beam of 37 feet (11 m) and a draft of up to 12 feet (3.7 m) at the time of construction, although this was increased to 14 feet 7 inches (4.45 m) in 1966. It initially had a displacement of 935 long tons (950 t; 1,047 short tons); this was increased to 1,026 long tons (1,042 t; 1,149 short tons) in 1966. It was powered by one electric motor. This was connected up to two Westinghouse generators which were driven by two CooperBessemer GND-8 four-cycle diesel engines. It had a single screw.^[1]

The Iris-class buoy tenders had maximum sustained speeds of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph), although this diminished to around 11.9 knots (22.0 km/h; 13.7 mph) in 1966. For economic and effective operation, it had to initially operate at 8.3 knots (15.4 km/h; 9.6 mph), although this increased to 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) in 1966. The ship had a complement of six officers and seventy-four crew members in 1945; this decreased to two warrants, four officers, and forty-seven men in 1966. It was fitted with a SL1 radar system and QBE-3A sonar system in 1945. Its armament consisted of one 3"/50 caliber gun, two 20mm/80 guns, two Mousetraps, two depth charge tracks, and four Y-guns in 1945; these were removed in 1966.^[1]