The Morro Bay, the first U.S. Coast Guard 140 ft WTGB icebreaking tug to undergo a 14-month Service Life Extension Project (SLEP) at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, MD, is now back in its homeport of Cleveland, OH.

The cutter is one of nine WTGB Bay Class icebreaking tugs built between the late 1970s and early 1980s in Tacoma, WA. Their hulls have an air bubbling system to help them proceed through fresh water ice up to 20 in thick and can break ice up to 3 ft thick by ramming.

But after nearly three decades service they are now ready for the SLEP, a major mid-life overhaul expected to extend their service life by 15 years.

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