Coast Guard holds annual Blackthorn memorial service in St. Petersburg

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 01/28/2018 06:00 PM EST

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News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Tampa Bay
Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Tampa Bay
305-965-4672
PA Detachment Tampa Bay online newsroom

Coast Guard holds annual Blackthorn memorial service in St. Petersburg

 

 Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Joshua Appleby, a 175-foot Keeper Class Coastal Buoy Tender homeported in St. Petersburg, hold roses for presentation Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, during the 38th anniversary memorial service of the Blackthorn collision. The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, in St. Petersburg, Jan. 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse Coast Guardsmen, survivors, family members, and community members from around the Tampa Bay area commemorated the 38th anniversary of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn tragedy, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 at the Liberty Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. The ceremony consisted of remarks by Adm. Peter Brown, commander of the 7th Coast Guard District, posting of the Colors, and reading of the lost crewmembers’ names, each commemorated by the placing of a rose. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse)  Coast Guard Adm. Peter Brown, commander of the 7th Coast Guard District, speaks during the 38th Annual Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn memorial service, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 at the Liberty Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan. 28, 1980. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse) LEAVE A COMMENT IMAGE INFO Date Taken: 01.28.2018 Date Posted: 01.28.2018 17:45 Photo ID: 4104490 VIRIN: 180128-G-XO423-1003 Resolution: 3247x4546 Size: 8.15 MB Location: ST. PETERSBURG, FL, US Web Views: 0 Downloads: 0 Podcast Hits: 0 PUBLIC DOMAIN This work, Coast Guard holds annual Blackthorn memorial service in St. Petersburg [Image 1 of 5], by PO1 Michael De Nyse, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.   Link to photo A crewmember from the Coast Guard Cutter Joshua Appleby, a 175-foot Keeper Class Coastal Buoy Tender homeported in St. Petersburg, salutes after presenting a rose during a ceremony for the 38th anniversary of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn tragedy, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, in St. Petersburg, Jan. 28, 1980. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse) 


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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Coast Guard crewmembers, survivors, family members, and community members from around the Tampa Bay area commemorated the 38th anniversary of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn tragedy, Sunday, at Liberty Baptist Church in St. Petersburg. 

The ceremony consisted of remarks by Adm. Peter Brown, commander of the 7th Coast Guard District, the posting of the Colors, and reading of the lost crewmembers’ names, each commemorated by the placing of a rose. 

The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan. 28, 1980. The Blackthorn lost 23 of its 50 crewmembers in the worst peacetime disaster in Coast Guard history. A memorial inscribed with the names of the crewmembers that perished now stands two miles north of the collision site.

"Although this is a sad occasion, as we mourn the loss of nearly half the Blackthorn’s crew that night, it is also an encouraging moment when we think about how much the Coast Guard has advanced since then, and we can be assured that the service and sacrifice of Blackthorn’s officers and crew was not in vain," said Brown. 

The Blackthorn collision provided the impetus for the establishment of the Command and Operations School at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. The school offers courses to prepare command-level officers and senior enlisted members for command duty afloat. Additionally, the Coast Guard developed new training requirements, spent more money on safety equipment and made changes to the navigational aids in and around Tampa Bay.

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