- Announced Annual Awards:
- Large Unit History Award Winner: The winner of the large unit award is CGC Hamilton (WMSL 753). The widespread usage of the cutter’s public Facebook page to post pictures, videos, and share articles posted by other agencies reached over 22,000 people and generated 1,100 followers in 2017. The unit’s Eight Bells Video contest-winning video generated over 3,800 views and 179 likes on YouTube, and 54,000 views and 1,200 likes on Facebook. The cutter honored the 75th anniversary of the sinking of Alexander Hamilton (WPG 34) with a ceremony that included a representative from the families of the sailors lost in the sinking. During Fleet Week New York City 2017, the cutter hosted a wreath-laying ceremony at Alexander Hamilton’s grave at Trinity Church, then held a reception and separate harbor cruise for cast members of “Hamilton: An American Musical.” The crew hosted 4,500 visitors in 2017 on tours focusing on the unit’s history, strengthening ties with the Alexander Hamilton Society and the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, as well as with descendants of Alexander Hamilton.
- Small Unit History Award Winner: The winner of the small unit award is USCGC John McCormick (WPC 1121). The cutter’s commissioning crew made immediate efforts to cement a strong bond with the ship’s sponsor, Mrs. Linda Jarmer, John McCormick’s granddaughter, and the rest of John McCormick’s extended family. The crew ensured that the family was heavily involved in the creation of the ship’s crest, ultimately picking a design and motto that reflected the family’s wishes for honoring his legacy. After giving the Jarmer family a tour of the ship in Key West, FL, the crew arranged for a sunset happy hour with them aboard the decommissioned USCGC Ingham, a celebrated cutter that served from 1936 to 1988 and is now a museum in Key West. USCGC Ingham is the same ship upon which Boatswain McCormick was awarded his Gold Lifesaving medal in November 1938. As part of John McCormick’s transit to homeport, the crew coordinated a port visit to Astoria, OR, as most of John McCormick’s extended family lives in Oregon. Astoria is also near the site of his heroic rescue just inside the Columbia River Bar, so the crew coordinated with Station Cape Disappointment to arrange a ceremonial passing of the site of the rescue. The cutter carefully timed its crossing of the Columbia River Bar to meet with two vessels from Station Cape Disappointment, the Triumph II, a rendition of the original Triumph, which John McCormick coxswained during his heroic rescue, as family members watched from a 47-foot motor lifeboat. CAPT Ole Olsen, USCG (ret.), the grandson of Chief Motor Machinist Mate Albert L. Olsen, did the ship the honor of raising the commissioning pennant. CAPT Olsen is the grandson of Chief Motor Machinist Mate Albert L. Olsen, who was Boatswain McCormick’s machinist mate during their heroic rescue in 1938. The crew continued correspondence with the family and others through the creation of a quarterly newsletter.
- Special Recognition Awards. CDR William McKinstry. CDR McKinstry was called upon by the Coast Guard Historian to assist as a member of the Fast Response Cutter (FRC) Naming Tiger Team to assist in the location of relatives of personnel to have the honor of having a FRC named for them. He volunteered to serve on this team and located numerous relatives who have since participated in and attended various commissioning ceremonies nationwide. As lead investigator for the Coast Guard Atlantic Area Historian, he used research skills to glean valuable information regarding FRC namesakes and other subjects of Coast Guard historical interest. He quickly completed research and spoke to several surviving family members to ensure their participation during future FRC commissioning ceremonies. His efforts led to the enhancement of Coast Guard personnel’s awareness of Coast Guard history service-wide. His research also led to the discovery of several famous enlisted members of the Coast Guard whose names have been added to the list of influential Coast Guard personnel on the Coast Guard Historian’s website.
- Multimedia Award: ETCM Bill Dietz, USCG (ret.), and ETCS Joe Jester, USCG (ret.). ETCM Dietz and ETCS Jester expended considerable volunteer hours over many years chronicling the history of the Coast Guard’s involvement with the LOng RAnge Navigation (LORAN) system, primarily through their “Loran-History Info” website: http://www.loran-history.info. Using video, photographs, oral histories, and more, they have shed light on a very important, yet little-known, element of Coast Guard History. The website provides details on more than 200 USCG units involved in the development, implementation, support, and operation of various LORAN incarnations from the early 1940s to the present, including location, equipment types, transmission frequencies, station designations, testing and operational dates, and more. Each site has a listing of personnel assigned, documents related to the station, photographs, and personal stories of those assigned to the station.
- CAPT Fred Herzberg, FCGH Founder, published our organizational history, entitled Genesis: The Creation of the Foundation for Coast Guard History.
- Presented framed prints recognizing the service’s new Silver Ancient Mariner, BMCM Matthew J. Coppola, and Gold Ancient Mariner, CAPT Stephen Matadobra.
- FCGH participated in the 11th Maritime Heritage Conference, which was held in conjunction with the 45th annual conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships, the 55th annual meeting of the National Maritime Historical Society, and the 82nd annual meeting of the Steamship Historical Society of America. This was the first time the FCGH participated in this conference, and we provided speakers and panel moderators. Thanks to FCGH Regent CAPT Bob Desh, USCG (ret.), and Mr. John Galluzzo, our Annual Awards Committee chairman, both of whom did a great job representing FCGH before the assembled audience.
- FCGH support for the creation of a National Coast Guard Museum continues. Our members were part of a team that presented a proposal for the educational portion of the museum’s development, the Museum Education Initiative (MEL) which includes three components: (1) a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) center focused on visits from local schools, (2) a “virtual shipmate” program that will make use of technology to allow “shipmates” from Coast Guard history to guide visitors through the museum, and (3) a visitor qualification program that will allow visitors to use their time during their visit to the museum to “qualify” in several Coast Guard specialties, such as small boat coxswain or marine investigator, as they learn Coast Guard history.
- Continued to support the Coast Guard Historian’s Office with their quarterly “Historian’s Coffee.”
- Supported the Historian’s Office during their commemoration of the loss of USCGC Tampa near the end of World War. Secretary of Homeland Security, the Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen was the keynote speaker.
- Published three issues of The Cutter, FCGH’s magazine.
