The Port Huron Museum on the Great Lakes has been forced to put the decommissioned US Coast Guard cutter Bramble up for sale because of mounting losses regarding the vessel’s upkeep.
The 1944-built vessel. one of 39 180ft (55m) seagoing buoy tenders built during the war, was donated to the museum in 2003 following her retirement. However, while the ship’s maintenance and operating costs have been stable at around $100,000 per year, with insurance and utilities alone costing $65,000, income has dropped to $38,000 per year. A number of cost-cutting measures have been implemented.
