<p>I love a good Coast Guard Cutter and this trip just fueled that fire for me.  Sturgeon Bay is the home port of the USCGC Mobile Bay, a 140 foot "Bay" class ice breaking tugboat.  There were nine of the Bay class vessels built and two have now been equipped to with a 120 foot aids-to-navigation barge, including the Mobile Bay.  The barge is creatively named CGB-12002 and includes a large crane that is used to lift buoys in and out of the water.  During the winter and early spring, the barge stays tied to the dock and the Mobile Bay works to break ice around the area.  For much of the rest of the year, Mobile Bay is nestled into the notch of the barge so the ship can help maintain the huge number of navigation buoys on the Great Lakes.
</p>
This shot focuses on the tug itself, although you can see the bow is nestled into the notch at the stern of the barge.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/9197427@N06">Pete Markham</a> from Loretto, USA
CC BY-SA 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pmarkham/9213594085/">Door County Trip - June 2013 - USCGC Mobile Bay</a>