Why World War II seaplane tenders lasted into the 1980s

How could a World War II seaplane tender still be serving as a US Coast Guard cutter in 1988?

The former tender remained a useful ship after its original aviation role declined, while seaplanes themselves retained ocean rescue value until other aircraft could replace them.

A former wartime seaplane tender still serving as a Coast Guard cutter in 1988 is considered plausible because the ship could remain useful after its original role declined. Seaplanes themselves continued to offer an effective way to recover people from the open ocean until helicopters acquired sufficient range. More airfields, long-range aircraft, and large numbers of aircraft carriers also reduced dependence on water-based aviation. These changes came quickly enough that a tender bought in 1943 or 1944 might have seemed a sensible investment for another decade or two. The timing of obsolescence also depended on geography, with Baltic operations differing from the much larger Atlantic and Pacific.