HOUSTON - In this photo by the U.S. Coast Guard, members of SFO Galveston hold a service to memorialize the crew of the USCGC Blackthorn on the 29th anniversary of its sinking, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009.
The memorial service was held on the deck of the USCGC Harry Claiborne, homeported in Galveston. Names of the crew were read, and a wreath was placed into the sea in remembrance of those who lost their life.
The Blackthorn, which was once homeported in Galveston, was in a shipyard in Tampa, Florida, for routine repairs. The cutter got underway Jan. 28, 1980, at 7:21 p.m. headed for Galveston and collided with the motor tanker Capricorn near the Sunshine State Parkway Bridge. The collision resulted in the loss of 23 lives. This was the largest peacetime loss of life in the Coast Guard's history.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer Renee C. Aiello)
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