USCG Training Center Dedicates Building to Coast Guard Hero

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 02/17/2017 12:30 PM EST

united states coast guard

CAPE MAY, N.J. - Members of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May and guests officially dedicated the seamanship building located onboard the training center, here, as the Bernard C. Webber Seamanship Training Facility in a ceremony held Friday.

The training center's commanding officer, Capt. Owen Gibbons, along with the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Steven Cantrell, and Patricia Webber-Hamilton, the daughter of Chief Petty Officer Bernard Webber, dedicated the building to Webber for his act of heroism during the rescue of 32 crewmembers from the tanker vessel Pendleton, Feb. 18, 1952.

"Operating in the environment he did that night is a testament to his skill and courage," said Chief Warrant Officer Dan Murray, head of the Seamanship School onboard the training center. "Here we teach skills as well as operational risk management to our recruits. Chief Webber's story is an important part of why we, the Coast Guard, teach those skills that could potentially save a life."

The Seamanship School is responsible for teaching Coast Guard recruits basic helmsmanship, knot tying and shipboard firefighting skills as part of their basic-training curriculum.

"This means the absolute world to me," said Hamilton. "Having generations of Coast Guard recruits learn life-saving skills in a building named after my father is the most incredible way to honor him."

Training Center Cape May is the fifth largest base in the Coast Guard and the sole accession point for the entire enlisted workforce.

For more information on the Pendleton rescue, click here.

 

Patricia Webber-Hamilton, daughter of Bernard C. Webber, looks at a picture of her father on the wall of the newly dedicated Bernard C. Webber Seamanship Training Facility at Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, N.J., Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Webber and members of her family attended an event that dedicated the training center's seamanship building to her father for his heroic actions during the rescue of 32 crewmembers aboard the tanker vessel Pendleton that occurred Feb. 18, 1952. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo By Chief Warrant Officer John Edwards)

Patricia Webber-Hamilton, daughter of Bernard C. Webber, looks at a picture of her father on the wall of the newly dedicated Bernard C. Webber Seamanship Training Facility at Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, N.J., Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Webber and members of her family attended an event that dedicated the training center's seamanship building to her father for his heroic actions during the rescue of 32 crewmembers aboard the tanker vessel Pendleton that occurred Feb. 18, 1952. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo By Chief Warrant Officer John Edwards)

 

Patricia Webber-Hamilton, daughter of Bernard C. Webber, speaks to a crowd attending a dedication ceremony for the Bernard C. Webber Seamanship Training Facility at Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, N.J., Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Webber and members of her family attended an event that dedicated the training center's seamanship building to her father for his heroic actions during the rescue of 32 crewmembers aboard the tanker vessel Pendleton that occurred Feb. 18, 1952. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo By Chief Warrant Officer John Edwards)

Patricia Webber-Hamilton, daughter of Bernard C. Webber, speaks to a crowd attending a dedication ceremony for the Bernard C. Webber Seamanship Training Facility at Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, N.J., Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Webber and members of her family attended an event that dedicated the training center's seamanship building to her father for his heroic actions during the rescue of 32 crewmembers aboard the tanker vessel Pendleton that occurred Feb. 18, 1952. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo By Chief Warrant Officer John Edwards)