In early 1990, the U.S. Coast Guard embarked on a major program to rep
lace its fifty-year-old seagoing buoy tender fleet by requesting propo
sals for designs that would meet the Circular of Requirements (COR) fo
r the replacement cutter. Subsequently, three shipyards were awarded c
ontracts to develop contract designs and specifications for the vessel
. On 28 january 1993, Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) was awarded a
contract for construction of the Juniper, the lead ship of the new cl
ass of Coast Guard seagoing buoy tenders. From even a cursory examinat
ion of the COR, while buoy tending remains the Juniper's primary missi
on, she will serve as a multi-mission vessel capable of recovering spi
lled oil, performing icebreaking, servicing fixed stations and other v
essels with fuel, water and cargo, as well as conducting search and re
scue and law enforcement operations. This paper lists the requirements
and describes the resulting successful design that meets these requir
ements and has been designated the Juniper class by the U.S. Coast Gua
rd.