7th Coast Guard District
U.S. Coast Guard
Multimedia Release
** Update** Video and photos available of Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn memorial ceremony
ST. PETERSBURG,
The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan 28, 1980. Twenty-three of the Blackthorn's 50 crewmembers lost their lives during the Coast Guard's worst peacetime disaster. A memorial inscribed with the names of the crewmembers that perished now stands two miles north of the accident site.
Friday’s ceremony consisted of an aerial salute by Coast Guard aircraft, remarks by Coast Guard Rear Adm. William D. Baumgartner, commander Seventh Coast Guard District, posting of the Colors, and reading of the lost crewmembers' names, each commemorated by the placing of a rose beneath the memorial.
The Blackthorn tragedy provided the impetus for the establishment of the Command and Operations School at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. The school offers courses to prepare command-level officers and senior enlisted members for command duty afloat. Commanding officers are now required to formally assess risks such as transiting an unfamiliar port at night and are given full discretion and encouraged to say no if they feel the risks involved are unnecessary.
Additionally, the Coast Guard developed new training requirements, spent more money on safety equipment and made changes to the navigational aids in and around Tampa Bay
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Tampa Bay area community, friends, and survivors, came to commemorate and pay respect to the 23 crewmembers lost during the sinking of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn during the 31st Anniversary Blackthorn Memorial Ceremony, Jan. 28, 2011 in St. Petersburg. U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 1st Class Mariana O'Leary.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Chief Warrant Officer Michael Tomasi, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Joshua Appleby, renders a salute during the 31st anniversary of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn ceremony Jan. 28, 2011, in St. Petersburg. The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, in St. Petersburg, Jan. 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Simpson.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Petty Officer 1st Class Bryan Carpenter, a crewmember on the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute, places a rose at the base of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn Memorial, during the 31st anniversary ceremony Jan. 28, 2011, in St. Petersburg. Each rose represents an individual Coast Guardsman that lost their life after the Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, in St. Petersburg, Jan. 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Simpson.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Crewmembers from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg and tenant units hold roses and stand in formation during the ceremony for the 31st anniversary of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn. Each rose represents an individual Coast Guardsman that lost their life after the Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, in St. Petersburg, Jan. 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Simpson.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Roses sit in front of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn memorial during the ceremony for the 31st anniversary of the ship's sinking Jan. 28, 2011 in St. Petersburg. Each rose represents an individual Coast Guardsman that lost their life after the Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, in St. Petersburg, Jan. 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Simpson.
 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A Coast Guard crewmember salutes for the presentation of colors during the 31st anniversary memorial service of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collision at Blackthorn Memorial Park, Jan. 28, 2011. The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tara Molle.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Retired Chief Petty Officer Ralph Wilson rings the ship's bell for each crewmember lost in the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collision during the 31st anniversary memorial service at Blackthorn Memorial Park, Jan. 28, 2011. The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tara Molle.
 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer James Angevine, a food service specialist at Sector St. Petersburg, presents a wreath from the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer's Association for the 31st anniversary memorial service of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collision at Blackthorn Memorial Park, Jan. 28, 2011. The Blackthorn sank after colliding with the tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan 28, 1980. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tara Molle.
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