Ensign John Ryan had the conn. She served in San Pedro for several years before being brought into the gulf coast region to serve in Mobile, Alabama then transferred to Galveston, Texas for the final years of her service until the accident. The board determined that the cause of the collision was the failure of both vessels to keep well to the side of the channel which lay on each ship's starboard (right) sides. The original cost for the hull and machinery was $876,403. (No one on the Capricorn was harmed.). The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan 28, 1980. Having just completed her overhaul at the Gulf Tampa Drydock Company, which included overhaul of the main propulsion generators, Blackthorn was outward bound from Tampa Bay on the night of 28 January 1980. There is a memorial service being held in St. Petersburg, Florida this morning for the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn. (On Tuesdays anniversary, the Coast Guard will remember the tragedy with its own event.) Then as the two ships backed away from each other, the chain became taut. Several crew members who had just reported aboard tried to escape and in the process trapped themselves in the engine room. Today we remember and honor his sacrifice and all the lives lost during this terrible accident. Seaman Apprentice Flores died aboard Blackthorn. The U.S. Coast Guard held a service Friday to honor the lives lost at the Blackthorn Memorial site in St. Petersburg. On January 28, 1980, the USCGC Blackthorn collided with a tanker in Tampa Bay, Florida.Seaman Apprentice William Flores, just eighteen years old and a year out of boot camp, stayed on board as the cutter sank, strapping the life jacket locker open with his belt, giving his own life jacket to those struggling in the water, and giving aid to those wounded on board. Wartime: 1 3"/50 caliber single mount 10 Tampa Bay 263K subscribers Subscribe 10 Share 822 views 1 year ago Exactly 42 years ago, 23 crew members aboard the U.S. The board determined that the cause of the casualty was the failure of both vessels to keep well to that side of the channel which lay on their starboard (right) side. Just seconds after the slack in the anchor chain became taut, Blackthorn capsized. Several crew members who had just reported aboard tried to escape and in the process trapped themselves in the engine room. . (Please note the red text denotes those Purple Hearts already awarded or in progress.) Richard Flores, one year older than Billy, has seen his son Bobby, a high school senior in Texas, grow older than his heroic brother. And in 2012, the Coast Guard dubbed a vessel the Coast Guard Cutter William Flores. Citizenship And Immigration Services Ombudsman, This page was not helpful because the content, Acting Secretary Wolf Commemorates USCG Blackthorn Memorial. Early in my tenure as MCPOCG, I attended the memorial gathering for the USCGC BLACKTHORN on January 28, 2000, which commemorated the 20th Anniversary of the tragic accident. Damage to the Blackthorn from the initial impact was not extensive. Some contend that the brightly lit passenger vessel obscured the ability of the crews of Blackthorn and Capricorn to see each other. I was 9 years old. A freak set of circumstances led to catastrophe on the evening of Jan. 28, 1980. Blackthorn was initially assigned to the Great Lakes for ice-breaking duties, but after only a few months, she was reassigned to San Pedro, California. Seaman Apprentice William "Billy" Flores was originally from Carlsbad, New Mexico and a graduate of Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas. Concurring with the marine board's determination of the cause, the Commandant emphasized in his "Action" that the failure of the persons in charge of both vessels to ascertain the intentions of the other through the exchange of appropriate whistle signals was the primary contributing cause. For years after the accident, Clutter pushed for the Coast Guard to honor Flores. Installed power: 2 Cooper-Bessemerdiesel engines Blackthorn's captain, Lieutenant Commander George Sepel had departed the bridge to investigate a problem with the newly installed propulsion shaft. Although some accounts of the disaster say Flores wore a life jacket himself, his body was found without one, his brother Sam Flores said. Coast Guardsmen and women today are still performing this vital mission here in the Port of Tampa. The port anchor of Capricorn was then reportedly lodged into Blackthorn's port side as a result of the collision. And even once the crews did spot one another, an inexperienced Blackthorn officer failed to properly communicate with the Capricorn. 1989- USCGC Northwind decommissioned. 2 Westinghousegenerators USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391) was a 180-foot (55 m) seagoing buoy tender (WLB) which sank in 1980 in a collision near the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge, resulting in 23 crew member fatalities. Displacement: 935 long tons (950t) The U.S. Coast Guard held a. She served in World War II, . Complement: 48Armament: One of the best known dive sites around Tampa and St Petersburg is the United States Coast Guard cutter Blackthorn (U.S.C.G. Twenty-three of the Blackthorn's 50 crewmembers lost their lives during the Coast Guard's worst peacetime disaster. General characteristics Class & type: Iris Displacement: 935 long tons (950 t) Length: 180 ft (55 m) Beam: 37 ft (11 m) Exactly 42 years ago, 23 crew members aboard the U.S Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn lost their lives after colliding with a tanker in Tampa Bay.\r\rThe U.S. Coast Guard held a service Friday to honor the lives lost at the Blackthorn Memorial site in St. Petersburg.\r\rAt approximately 8:21 p.m. on Jan. 28, 1980, USCGC Blackthorn collided with the U.S. tankship Capricorn in Tampa Bay waters near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the Coast Guard explains.\r\rThe port anchor of Capricorn was then reportedly lodged into Blackthorn's port side as a result of the collision.\r\rMomentum from the two vessels caused the Capricorn's port anchor chain to be stretched, capsizing Blackthorn. This would be the worst. After this loss of life, critical improvements were made to Service readiness, training, and safety that still echo across the Service today. Having just completed her overhaul at the Gulf Tampa Drydock Company, which included overhaul of the main propulsion generators, Blackthorn was outward bound from Tampa Bay on the night of 28 January 1980. His heroic role was initially overlooked by the two official reports by the Coast Guard and the NTSB, but was later given the recognition he deserved. (Some contend that the brightly lit passenger vessel obscured the ability of the crews of Blackthorn and Capricorn to see each other.). Speed: 13kn(24km/h; 15mph) maximum One of the 23 crew members lost that day was 19-year-old Seaman Apprentice (SA) William Ray Flores, the namesake of our Tampa Chapter. [5][6] Bobby Flores plans to continue the family tradition as a future member of the Marines. It is a privilege to be here with the survivors, families, friends and Coast Guard men and women at the 40th Anniversary of the tragic sinking of Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn. The. Blackthorn (WLB-391)black is one of the most popular wreck dives in the Tampa area. Please join me in welcoming the 27th Commandant of the United States Coast GuardAdmiral Karl Schultz. To submit applications for TAMPA Purple Hearts, please contact Ms. Nora Chidlow, Coast Guard Archivist, at nora.l.chidlow@uscg.mil or 202-559 . The Blackthorn collision has forever changed the Coast Guard and provided lessons on risk management and training. There are numerous privileges that come with this post Im toldbut none is greater than being Service Secretary to the 41,000 active duty, 7000 reservist, 8,600 civilian, and 29,000 auxiliary members of the Coast Guard. The cutter eventually sank into the water. Its still in service today. However, Capricorn's anchor was ready to be let go. SA Flores paid the ultimate price after locating the life jacket locker, ensuring all survivors in the water received a life jacket, and staying with the sinking ship determined to save the lives of his shipmates trapped in the sinking hull. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. An Iris-class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Find your Shipmates on coastguard.togetherweserved.com. Flores statue is the first in the monument to resemble a particular person. USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391) was a 180-foot (55m) seagoing buoy tender (WLB) which sank in 1980 in a collision near the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge, resulting in 23 crew member fatalities. The Commandant also acted on various safety recommendations made by the marine board concerning training and equipment aboard Coast Guard vessels, and navigation considerations in Tampa Bay. An Iris-class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. James Rovolis' brother George was among the crew who lost their lives in the tragedy. 11 memorials. USCGC Ironwood (WAGL-297/WLB-297) was a Mesquite-class sea-going buoy tender operated by the United States Coast Guard. From the official U.S. Coast Guard history on Blackthorn: "Blackthorn was outward bound from Tampa Bay on the night of 28 January 1980. These matters were referred to the commanders of the Seventh and Eighth Coast Guard Districts for further investigation and appropriate action. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The BUCKTHORN works two seasons buoy trips that consist of the most buoys of any unit in the Ninth District. The vessels collided nearly head on, and as a result, Capricorn's port anchor became embedded in Blackthorn's port side. Blackthorn was one of 39 original 180-foot (55m) seagoing buoy tenders built between 1942 and 1944. The USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391) was a 180-foot (55 m) seagoing buoy tender (WLB) which sank in 1980 in a tragic collision near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge of Tampa Bay, resulting in 23 crew member fatalities. Although 27 crewmen . With the officer of the deck confused in regard to the standard operating procedure, Blackthorns Captain issued orders for evasive action. An Iris-class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Despite the Blackthorn's evasive action, a collision occurred. 7 and the Propeller Club - Port of Detroit at a memorial service held on the 30th Anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn disaster. Momentum from the two vessels caused the Capricorn's port anchor chain to be stretched, capsizing Blackthorn. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1980, Sources cite both "Willy" and "Billy" as nicknames, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation, "Skipper Pleads Fifth Amendment; Attorney Requests Immunity", "Getting his due Coast Guard hero receives honor posthumously", "New Coast Guard cutter bears name of Benbrook man who saved others", "Mexican American hero of WWI up for Texas' highest military honor", National Park Service Report on the 180-foot (55m) buoy tenders, "U.S. Coast Guard Sea-going & Coastal Buoy Tenders, 1939-2000", Article about 20th Anniversary of the sinking, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter BLACKTHORN, Galveston, Galveston County, TX, List of cutters of the United States Coast Guard, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USCGC_Blackthorn&oldid=1149906296, Historic American Engineering Record in Texas, Articles lacking in-text citations from January 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. , at nora.l.chidlow @ uscg.mil or 202-559 and as a result, Capricorn 's port side works two buoy! 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