This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – January 31
1942- HMS Culver (ex-CGC Mendota--she was one of the "Lake" Class cutters transferred to the Royal Navy in 1941 under the Lend-Lease program) was torpedoed and sunk with 13 survivors. 1948- Mrs. Fannie M. Salter, keeper of the Turkey Point Lighthouse in upper Chesapeake Bay since 1925 and the last woman keeper of a lighthouse in the United States, retired from active service. The first woman had been hired as a lighthouse keeper 150 years before. Salter's retirement temporarily closed the tradition of women serving as keepers at lighthouses. 1975-CGC Vigorous (WMEC-627) became the first cutter to make a seizure of a foreign-flag fishing vessel in the high seas when she seized the Italian fishing vessel Tontini Pesca Cuarto for illegally taking lobster.
Station Little Creek Demos Boats
Coast Guard crews demonstrate the capabilities of the 45-foot Response Boat - Medium from Station Little Creek and the 24-foot Special Purpose Craft - Shallow Water from Station Chincoteague in the Elizabeth River near Portsmouth, Va., Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. The boats will provide Coast Guard crews with enhanced capabilities to fulfill their Homeland Security missions. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo/Petty Officer Mark Jones)
Coast Guard Crew Recognized for Heroism
Coast Guardsmen from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., are scheduled to be recognized in a ceremony Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. at the air station. The recognition is for the crewmembers' heroism during the Coast Guard’s response to a chemical tanker explosion off the coast of Virginia nearly a year ago. North Carolina Senator Richard Burr and Coast Guard Fifth District Commander, Rear Adm. Sally Brice-O’Hara, are both scheduled to take part in the ceremony. Among the awardees is Petty Officer William (Dave) Foreman, a rescue swimmer who is being awarded the distinguished Coast Guard Medal. The Coast Guard Medal is one of the highest awards in the service.