USCG to Commission 6th National Security Cutter
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that the service's sixth national security cutter, Munro, will be commissioned April 1, 2017, at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal in Seattle. The cutter, which will be homeported in Alameda, Calif., is named after the Coast Guard's only Medal of Honor recipient, Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro. The timing of the announcement coincides with the annual memorial service for Munro, a Cle Elum, Washington-native, taking place Tuesday at Laurel Hill Memorial Park in Cle Elum. Munro died on Guadalcanal Sept. 27, 1942, after volunteering to evacuate a detachment of U.S. Marines during the battle with Japanese forces holding the Pacific Island. Each year, on Sept.
Port of Seattle’s Cruise Season Underway
The Port of Seattle’s 2015 cruise season began May 1 at Smith Cove Cruise Terminal with the arrival of the Holland America Line Westerdam. The port expects 192 cruise ship calls this season, bringing an estimated 895,055 revenue passengers. “Each of these cruise ships contribute $2.5 million to the local economy, which comes out to over $400 million for this cruise season,” said Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman. “We also want passengers to stay in the area an extra few days to spend more time and money in Washington state.