A decommissioning ceremony honoring the soon-to-be retired U.S. Coast Guard cutter Naushon will be held on Friday, March 21 on the Homer Spit.

The Naushon has been part of the Coast Guard’s presence in Homer since June 2016, according to the city manager’s office.

The 110-foot island class vessel has been used in support of “the Coast Guard’s maritime homeland security, defense operations, fisheries enforcement, and search and rescue missions.”

Forty-nine cutters of this class were built, yet very few remain in commission. According to Lt. Ross Markham, the commanding officer for the Naushon, there are only three of them left in service, including the Naushon, the Mustang in Seward, and the Liberty in Valdez.

“The new replacements that we’re getting for these types of boats are 154 feet long,” Lt. Markham said on Wednesday. “They have some additional capabilities, but they require more maintenance and more support that can be challenging to provide in some of these more remote areas, so generally, we hub them to make sure that all those different support structures and items can be provided more easily.”

Three of these new, 154-foot cutters will hub in Kodiak, allowing for the same amount of operational coverage in the area, according to Lt. Markham.

“We honor NAUSHON’s long service to the USCG District 17 and the Coast Guard’s dedication to Alaska ports, waterways and coastal security,” reads a statement from the Homer City Manager’s office. “We honor all the crews that have served aboard the NAUSHON, are grateful to all our brave Coast Guard men and women and encourage our community to come out to support them during NAUSHON’s decommissioning ceremony.”

The ceremony will start at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 21, and will be held on the Homer Spit near the cutter’s homeport mooring at 4373 Freight Dock Road.

Tours of the ship will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

NAUSHON also will be open for public tours in the days leading up to and proceeding the event.

Public tours of the ship will be available on March 19, 20 and 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. and on March 22 from 10 to 12 p.m. and 2 and 6 p.m.