This Day in Coast Guard History – Sept. 16

1918-CGC Seneca’s crew attempted to bring the torpedoed British collier Wellington into Brest, France.  Eleven of Seneca‘s crew, sent as a boarding party aboard the collier, were lost when Wellington foundered in a gale on 16 September 1918.

1939-The longest continually-operating Coast Guard Auxiliary unit, Flotilla 63, was first chartered in Onset, Massachusetts.

1988- Hurricane Gilbert hit Mexico.  Coast Guard units assisted in rescue and evacuation operations on 18-20 of September.  Coast Guard aircrews lifted 109 victims from flood waters to safety.

(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)