USCGC Iris (WLB-211) (Custody ship)

The USCGC Iris was commissioned in 1944 and was used primarily as a lighthouse tender.  From 1944 to 1972, Iris was stationed at Galveston, Texas, where it serviced Aids-to-Navigation (ATON).  In addition to its regular duties, Iris performed several rescue and assistance missions, including responding to a 1947 fire in Texas City, Texas, and to a 1970 oil rig fire off the coast of Galveston, Texas.  In 1967 the cutter suffered a hull breach, requiring it to be intentionally beached before being repaired.  From 1972 until 1995, Iris was stationed at Astoria, Oregon.  In 1987, despite being in the yard for repairs, Iris responded to the tanker Exxon Valdez grounding and assisted in clean-up operations in Prince William Sound.  The Coast Guard decommissioned Iris in 1995.