ALCOAST 350/18 - OCT 2018 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOSS OF USCGC CUYAHOGA

R 110736 OCT 18
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-092//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N05700//
ALCOAST 350/18
COMDTNOTE 5700
SUBJ:  40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOSS OF USCGC CUYAHOGA
1. Saturday, October 20th, marks the 40th anniversary of USCGC CUYAHOGA (WIX 157)
sinking. The cutter was underway in the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the
Potomac River on a nighttime training mission when she collided with the 521-foot
Argentine-flagged freighter M/V SANTA CRUZ II. The impact of the collision was so
devastating that CUYAHOGA sank in minutes, taking 10 Coast Guardsmen and an
international officer with her. Eighteen crewmembers survived the incident.
2. The CUYAHOGA sinking – and the USCGC BLACKTHORN (WLB 391) collision and sinking
15 months later - initiated a period of review and reflection that ultimately led
to improvements in Cost Guard policy, doctrine, training and standardization. The
Service created a preparation course for all command cadre, mandated the Deck Watch
Officer Examination, required prospective commanding officers to conduct underway
familiarization rides, and promulgated the Commandant’s Cutter Navigation Standards.
Today, Service leaders at all levels are trained to mitigate risk and ensure that
Coast Guard operations are performed as safely as possible. We honor the sacrifice
of those Coast Guardsmen who perished aboard CUYAHOGA 40 years ago by adhering to
the lessons learned from that tragedy.
3. Two ceremonies will be held to memorialize the CUYAHOGA and her crew. On Friday,
October 19, Officer Candidate School will host a ceremony on the campus of the
Coast Guard Academy. For further information, please contact LT Eric Romero at
(860) 701-6402 or “Eric.D.Romero@uscg.mil.” On Saturday, October 20, a ceremony
including members of CUYAHOGA’s surviving crew, will take place on the grounds of
Training Center Yorktown. For more information, please contact CWO4 Chad McNeill at
(757) 856-2241, “Chad.A.McNeill@uscg.mil”; or LT Brendan Salerno at (757) 856-2720,
“Brendan.R.Salerno@uscg.mil.”
4. More information about USCGC CUYAHOGA is available at:
“https://history.uscg.afpims.mil/cmsmedia/2002048161/-1/-1/0/CUYAHOGA%20AFPIMS.PDF”
5. Please pause to remember our lost shipmates of USCGC CUYAHOGA and reflect on
their service to our nation.
6. RDML Melissa Bert, USCG, Director of Governmental & Public Affairs, sends.
7. Internet release is authorized.