USCGC Sassafras (WLB-401)

USCGC Sassafras (WLB-401) was a 180-foot seagoing buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard, commissioned in 1944. Built in Duluth, Minnesota, she served during World War II, performing vital aids to navigation, search and rescue, and icebreaking duties. Over her long career, Sassafras operated in various locations, including the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and was eventually homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii. After more than five decades of distinguished service, she was decommissioned in 2003 and later transferred to the Nigerian Navy.