The Long Blue Line (Spring 2024)

More documents

Recommendations

Info

SMALL ARTIFACT: GIANT TALE Amongst the stacks and rows of the Coast Guard Heritage Asset Collection is a dollar bill-sized placard so unassuming that it’s easily overlooked. Measuring just a smidge under 4 inches in height, a tad bit over 12 inches in width, and a mere .3 inches in depth, this bronze placard is the only, verified, artifact from the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, which sank in September 1918 off the coast of Wales near the end of World War I. PA2 Andrew Tompkins, the curatorial historian for the National Coast Guard Museum, holds this placard very near and dear to his heart and ranks it as one his favorite pieces in the collection. “This placard is arguably the most impactful artifact in the collection from World War I,” he said. “It represents a significant loss of life. We lost 111 Coast Guard service members, four Navy personnel, five civilians, and 11 members of the British Royal Navy.” The sequence of events that led the placard back to the United States is still something of a slight mystery, but over the decades the story has slowly been pieced together, save for some time gaps. “It washed up on a beach in 1924 in Porthcawl, which is a town in Wales,” Tompkins said. “It was found by a local resident, and the placard was still attached to a piece of wood from the Tampa's original lifeboat.” The placard was verified as belonging to the Tampa because of its standard size and shape, and it holds an identification number that can only match the Tampa. 22 SPRING 2024 THE LONG BLUE LINE
Somehow, someway the placard was returned from the United Kingdom to the United States shortly after its discovery, and eventually returned to the Coast Guard for safekeeping. "Every other artifact, that I know of, we’ve gone out to find,” Tompkins said. “This is the only artifact that has come to us. It broke free from the Tampa and literally rose from the depths of the Atlantic to come back to us, and that’s part of what makes this piece so incredibly special.” By: Renee Coleman, National Coast Guard Museum THE LONG BLUE LINE SPRING 2024 23
Page 1 and 2: SPRING 2024 ACTION NEEDED TO CONTIN
Page 3 and 4: THE LONG BLUE LINE SPRING 2024 3
Page 7 and 8: I have said time and again, as we p
Page 9 and 10: MCPO LLOYD PIERCE: Spring has sprun
Page 11 and 12: I’m joined by RADM Merrie Austin,
Page 13 and 14: GLACIER REUNION SAVE THE DATE LOCAT
Page 15 and 16: USCGC STORIS U.S. COAST GUARD VETER
Page 17 and 18: NEVER TOO LATE: A CASE OF MISTAKEN
Page 21: THE LONG BLUE LINE SPRING 2024 21
Page 25 and 26: How does the Coast Guard celebrate
Page 29 and 30: Get Your NATIONAL COAST GUARD MUSEU
Page 31 and 32: This is what we are known for. This
Page 33 and 34: We are prototyping unmanned systems
Page 35 and 36: the Polar Security Cutter. This is
Page 39 and 40: A FAMILY AFFAIR By Beau Bridges In
Page 41 and 42: shared many of his experiences with
Page 43 and 44: HONOR. ENGAGE. EDUCATE. INSPIRE. JO
Page 45 and 46: Festivals held in Grand Haven, Mich
Page 47 and 48: Prior to opening his highly recogni
Page 51 and 52: AUXILIARY Auxiliarists who possess
Page 53 and 54: The Coast Guard and Coast Guard Aux
Page 55 and 56: Because of this, there are now more
Page 57 and 58: hands-on training by certified AUXC
Page 61 and 62: Meanwhile, the two leading ships of
Page 63 and 64: In 1961, the Raymond Loewy and Will
Page 67 and 68: In the military, and in the Coast G
Page 69 and 70: Petty Officer 2nd Class Van Alstyne
Page 71 and 72: eassured Van Alstyne. He told her i
Page 73 and 74:
RESERVE Chief Warrant Officer Antho
Page 75 and 76:
! FERNANDEZ HIDALGO, CARLOS FIKE, B
Page 77 and 78:
TINSTMAN, LAWRENCE TISCHER, JACE TO
Page 79 and 80:
THE LONG BLUE LINE SPRING 2024 79
Page 81 and 82:
BOYLE, DAVID SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH CDR
Page 83 and 84:
FRIER, WALTER GARLAND, TX YNC RET.
Page 85 and 86:
MIZELLE, TIMOTHY COLERAIN, NC SKCS
Page 87 and 88:
TAPS TURNER, THERON DEPTFORD, NJ CW
Page 89 and 90:
NOAA TAPS ALDERMAN, RICHARD TUCSON,
Page 91 and 92:
CHAPLAIN'S CORNER EMBRACE EVERY SEA
Page 93 and 94:
NEW USCG RETIREE MENTORING & TRANSI
Page 95 and 96:
COAST GUARD LEGAL ASSISTANCE Coast
Page 97 and 98:
CG PAY & PERSONNEL CENTER, RETIREE
Page 99 and 100:
All other inquiries: osgli.osgli@pr
show all

The Long Blue Line (Spring 2024)

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?