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USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391) underway in 1972
History
United States
Name
USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391)
Builder
Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation, Duluth, Minnesota
USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391) was a 180-foot (55 m) seagoing buoy tender (WLB) which sank in 1980 in a collision near the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge, resulting in 23 crew member fatalities.[1][2][3]
An Iris-class vessel, she was built by Marine Ironworks and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth, Minnesota. Blackthorn's preliminary design was completed by the United States Lighthouse Service and the final design was produced by Marine Iron and Shipbuilding Corporation in Duluth. On 21 May 1943 the keel was laid, she was launched on 20 July 1943 and commissioned on 27 March 1944. The original cost for the hull and machinery was $876,403.
Blackthorn was one of 39 original 180-foot (55 m) seagoing buoy tenders built between 1942 and 1944. All but one of the original tenders, USCGC Ironwood (WLB-297), were built in Duluth.
Blackthorn was initially assigned to the Great Lakes for ice-breaking duties, but after only a few months, she was reassigned to San Pedro, California. She served in San Pedro for several years before being brought into the gulf coast region to serve in Mobile, Alabama then transferred to Galveston, Texas for the final years of her service until the accident.
In 1979–1980, Blackthorn underwent a major overhaul in Tampa, Florida. On 28 January 1980, while leaving Tampa Bay after the overhaul, she collided with the tanker SS Capricorn. Shortly after the collision, Blackthorn capsized, killing 23 of her crew.[4] The cutter was raised for the investigation, and was scuttled in the Gulf of Mexico after the investigation was complete. She currently serves as an artificial reef for recreational diving and fishing.
^
McMahon, Patrick (7 February 1980). "'Hard right rudder': Blackthorn skipper gave command too late, crewman testifies". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1B.
—— (7 February 1980). "'Hard right rudder' (continued)". St. Petersburg Times. p. 8B.
^
McBride, Don (8 February 1980). "Blackthorn Skipper and Tampa Pilot Main Marine Board Weekend Witnesses". The Evening Independent. p. 18-A. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
^
McBride, Don (9 February 1980). "Skipper Pleads Fifth Amendment; Attorney Requests Immunity". The Evening Independent. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
^Barnette, Michael C. (2008). Florida's Shipwrecks. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 122, 123. ISBN 978-0-7385-5413-6.
USCGCBlackthorn (WLB-391) was a 180-foot (55 m) seagoing buoy tender (WLB) which sank in 1980 in a collision near the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge...
of boot camp for only one year, Flores was stationed aboard USCGCBlackthorn. As Blackthorn left port from Tampa, Florida on January 28, 1980, the 180-foot...
Capricorn, a ship that on January 28, 1980 collided with and sank the USCGCBlackthorn (WLB-391) Capricorn Africa Society, a pressure group in British African...
Seaman Apprentice William Ray Flores who died during the sinking of USCGCBlackthorn. At the cost of his own life Flores stayed aboard the capsizing cutter...
I 12 Jan: HMCS St. Laurent 17 Jan: Salem 20 Jan: Athina B 28 Jan: USCGCBlackthorn 1 Mar: USS Robert L. Wilson 10 Mar: USS Abatan 11 Mar: María Alejandra...
I 12 Jan: HMCS St. Laurent 17 Jan: Salem 20 Jan: Athina B 28 Jan: USCGCBlackthorn 1 Mar: USS Robert L. Wilson 10 Mar: USS Abatan 11 Mar: María Alejandra...
rescued by Mys Sinyavin. On 28 January 1980, the 180-foot buoy tender USCGCBlackthorn collided with the 605-foot (184 m) oil tanker Capricorn and capsized...
1973 and later sold to a civilian firm in 1977. After the loss of USCGCBlackthorn (WLB-391) in 1980, the Coast Guard reacquired Cowslip and recommissioned...
I 12 Jan: HMCS St. Laurent 17 Jan: Salem 20 Jan: Athina B 28 Jan: USCGCBlackthorn 1 Mar: USS Robert L. Wilson 10 Mar: USS Abatan 11 Mar: María Alejandra...
in attempting save fellow Coast Guardsmen during the sinking of the USCGCBlackthorn. Awarded the Coast Guard Medal. Texas citizen; not in Texas Military...
Syracuse, Watertown, and surrounding areas are most affected. 1980 – USCGCBlackthorn collides with the tanker Capricorn while leaving Tampa, Florida and...
I 12 Jan: HMCS St. Laurent 17 Jan: Salem 20 Jan: Athina B 28 Jan: USCGCBlackthorn 1 Mar: USS Robert L. Wilson 10 Mar: USS Abatan 11 Mar: María Alejandra...
time. She was transferred to Galveston, Texas, where she replaced the USCGCBlackthorn, which was sunk in a collision with an oil tanker the previous year...
acting as a working platform for divers during the salvage of the USCGCBlackthorn, which had collided with a tanker in Tampa Bay in January 1980. In...
Zürich, Switzerland. January 28 – The 180' coast guard buoy tender USCGCBLACKTHORN collided with the 600' tanker SS CAPRICORN in the Tampa Bay shipping...
(1977) The brunt of the blizzard was centered around Buffalo. 23 1980 USCGCBlackthorn Accident – shipwreck Tampa Bay, Florida 23 1983 Air Canada Flight 797...
Twenty-three of the 50 crew died when the U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGCBlackthorn collided with the oil tanker SS Capricorn in Tampa Bay and then capsized...
I 12 Jan: HMCS St. Laurent 17 Jan: Salem 20 Jan: Athina B 28 Jan: USCGCBlackthorn 1 Mar: USS Robert L. Wilson 10 Mar: USS Abatan 11 Mar: María Alejandra...
I 12 Jan: HMCS St. Laurent 17 Jan: Salem 20 Jan: Athina B 28 Jan: USCGCBlackthorn 1 Mar: USS Robert L. Wilson 10 Mar: USS Abatan 11 Mar: María Alejandra...
Ship Flag Sunk date Notes Coordinates USCGCBlackthorn (WLB-391) United States Coast Guard 28 January 1980 A USCG seagoing buoy tender that collided with...
Mexico 20 mi (32 km) off Mobile Point en route to New Orleans. The USCGCBlackthorn assisted in search and recovery operations. National Airlines did not...
Global Information
United States