USCGC Salvia

USCGC Salvia (WLB-400) was a United States Coast Guard Iris-class buoy tender in commission from 1944 to 1991. She operated in the Great Lakes and along the United States Gulf Coast during her career. Sold and renamed Brian Davis in 2020 for use as a memorial vessel, she was scuttled as an artificial reef in 2020.

Construction and commissioning
Salvia was constructed by the Zenith Dredge Corporation at Duluth, Minnesota. Launched on 19 September 1943, she was commissioned on 19 February 1944.

Design
The Iris-class buoy tenders were constructed after the Mesquite-class buoy tenders. Salvia cost $923,995 to construct and had an overall length of 180 ft. She had a beam of 37 ft and a draft of up to 12 ft at the time of construction, although this was increased to 14 ft in 1966. She initially had a displacement of 935 lt; this was increased to 1026 lt in 1966. She was powered by one electric motor. This was connected up to two Westinghouse generators which were driven by two CooperBessemer GND-8 four-cycle diesel engines. She had a single screw.

The Iris-class buoy tenders had maximum sustained speeds of 13 kn, although this diminished to around 11.9 kn in 1966. For economic and effective operation, they had to initially operate at 8.3 kn, although this increased to 8.5 kn in 1966. The ships had a complement of six officers and seventy-four crew members in 1945; this decreased to two warrants, four officers, and forty-seven men in 1966. They were fitted with a SL1 radar system and QBE-3A sonar system in 1945. Their armament consisted of one 3"/50 caliber gun, two 20 mm/80 guns, two Mousetraps, two depth charge tracks, and four Y-guns in 1945; these were removed in 1966.

Career
After commissioning, Salvia was assigned to aid-to-navigation (ATON) and icebreaking duties in the Great Lakes. In May 1944, she was assigned to the 5th Coast Guard District and stationed in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she remained until the end of World War II in 1945.

After the war, Salvia was homeported in Mobile, Alabama, and continued to perform general ATON duties. In April 1951 she was disabled in Calasieu Pass near Cameron, Louisiana, and was towed back to port by the cutter USCGC Tampa (WPG-164). In December 1968, Salvia searched for survivors from the lost coastal buoy tender USCGC White Alder (WLM-541). She was decommissioned on 4 October 1991.

Disposal
By mid-May 2019, Salvia was lying at Virginia Beach, Virginia, in scrap condition, with her engines and most equipment removed, and the General Services Administration had put her up for auction.

In 2020, Salvia was sold for use as a memorial vessel and artificial reef. Renamed Brian Davis in memory of a local diver, she was scuttled on 24 July 2020 in southern Onslow Bay off Topsail Beach, North Carolina, about 15 nmi from Topsail Inlet and 18 nmi from Masonboro Inlet at 34.15857°N, -77.4297°W, as a part of artificial reef project AR-368.