Life Lines July 2021

Publications Now Available as Print-on-Demand

The two books that the USLSSHA produced are now available by print-on-demand at lulu.com. Search for either “They Had to Go Out” or “Rescue: The Stories of the U.S. Life-Saving Service” edited by John Galluzzo. If you have not added these two books to your library here is your chance to do so.

 

Chronology of Coast Guard History

If you were looking for a link to a chronology of Coast Guard History here is that link. https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/

 

Wallops Beach Station Again Looking for a New Home

This call will stay in Life Lines each month until we determine that the structures have been saved or time has run out and they have been demolished.  If you can help please do so now.

The Wallops Beach Station in Virginia needs someone willing to take and move the structures from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility.  Both the station and the tower could be yours.  NASA will demolish the structure in 2021 to reduce their mandated allotted square footage, but there is still time.  If someone is interested in moving these structures please contact:

Steve Taylor
Realty Specialist
NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Bldg N-161, Rm 135
Work:  757-824-1194
Cell:  503-317-0073

 

USLSSHA Webmaster Co-Chair(s) Positions Available

The U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association (USLSSHA) is in search of an individual(s) that would be interested in serving the USLSSHA regarding website maintenance. The primary responsibility of this position is to work with the current chairman and be responsible for physical weekly or monthly updates to the web site.

It is our hope that the individual selected would be able to use WordPress backend dashboard to perform monthly updates, make changes on the site including designing and adding new pages. Individual must also be familiar with how to add and use various WordPress plugins to the site.

As co-chair you will work on, plan for, research and advise the Board of needs and potential enhancements to our digital footprint. You would be working with the current Chair who is looking for some additional assistance with the task.

From the technical side, our website is WordPress and we also currently utilize Stripe and PayPal for payment processing. We use MailJet and a few others as accessories to the site.

We hope that one or more individuals will contact us who are willing to support the mission of the USLSSHA with the experience and interest to help us advance and help grow our organization’s image.

To investigate this opportunity and get additional information, please reach out to the Committee Chair either through the website or directly at the following email [email protected] for more information.

 

U.S. Coast Guard Academy Commencement

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered the keynote address at the Coast Guard Academy during the 140th Commencement Exercises May 19, 2021. The Coast Guard Academy graduated 240 new officers along with seven international students.

 

Coast Guard Welcomes Class of 2025

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Two hundred and ninety-one young women and men reported to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy as part of the incoming Class of 2025 on July 28.

This marks the traditional start of Swab Summer, an intense seven-week training program designed to transform civilian students into military members ready to accept the challenges that await them in their pursuit to become Coast Guard officers.

During their first day at the Academy, the swabs (as the new cadets are called) cycle through a whirlwind of haircuts, uniform issue, various administrative in processing and drill practice. At the end of the day the swabs march out to the parade field, take the oath of office, and pose for a group photo, before saying goodbye to their families.

This year approximately 36 percent of the class is from underrepresented minority groups to include the largest number of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in an incoming class. In addition, 40 percent of the incoming class is female. Also joining the class are eight international students from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.

 

U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Participates in New Jersey Memorial Day Community Events

U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May personnel support the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Memorial Day Flower Boat Launch, May 31, 2021, in Cape May, New Jersey.

 

Presentation and Book Signing at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

From the wreck of the Sparrow-Hawk in 1626 to the grounding of the Eldia in 1984, Cape Cod’s outer beach — often referred to as the “Graveyard of Ships” — saw the demise of more than three thousand vessels along forty miles of shifting shoals. It’s been said that if all the wrecks were raised, one could walk from Provincetown to Chatham without getting his or her feet wet.
 
The October Gale of 1841 claimed the lives of fifty-seven sailors from Truro, a devastating toll for a small seaside community. Survivors from the 1896 wreck of the Monte Tabor in Provincetown were arrested for a suspected mutiny. Aboard the Castagna, which stranded off Wellfleet in 1914, several sailors froze to death in the masts, while the crew’s cat survived.
 
Local author Don Wilding revisits these and many other maritime disasters, along with the heroic, and sometimes tragic, rescue efforts of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard.
 
Since the start of the millennium, Don Wilding has been telling stories of Cape Cod Outer Beach history. An award-winning writer and editor for Massachusetts newspapers since 1985, Don has contributed the “Shore Lore” history column for the Cape Codder newspaper of Orleans and is the author of two other books, “Henry Beston’s Cape Cod: How ‘The Outermost House’ Inspired a National Seashore,” and “A Brief of History of Eastham: On the Outer Beach of Cape Cod.” He is also a tour guide and lecturer and has taught local history classes for adults on the Outer Cape.
 
July 6, 2021  1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Book signing to follow the program
Tickets: $10 per person / Does not include Museum Admission

 

North Carolina is the Next Virtual/Small Group 2021 Annual Conference

“The Historic Wilmington Foundation, Old Baldy Foundation, and North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport are excited to host the 2021 USLSSHA Conference on September 23 – 25, 2021 exploring USLSS History in Southeastern North Carolina. This year’s conference is a hybrid conference featuring in-person experiences coupled with virtual programs offered each day via Zoom, including a hybrid USLSSHA Annual Meeting on September 25th.
 
The conference’s first day will focus on the Oak Island Life-Saving Station and modern Oak Island Coast Guard Station, including a visit to the graves of former keepers and surfmen. On the second day, the conference will focus on the Cape Fear Life-Saving Station on Bald Head Island. The final day will focus on the Life-Saving Stations around Cape Lookout and Fort Macon.
 
Currently, 15 rooms are reserved for the USLSSHA at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Downtown Wilmington for a special group rate of $169. In-person attendees are encouraged to reserve rooms by calling 910-251-3930. If enough individuals express interest in attending the conference in person, shuttle transportation will be included. Lunches for each of the three conference days will be included, and a Saturday evening reception near the hotel is being planned. The zoom link for virtual attendees will be shared at a future date.”
 
Mark your calendars for the 2021 Conference, Southport, North Carolina on September 23-25, 2021.
 
Those interested in attending in person please send your notice to Travis Gilbert [email protected]  Three people have already indicated their interest in attending in person with Travis.

 
If you have a story to submit for the next Life Lines please contact us through our website.  http://uslife-savingservice.org/contact/