The USCGC Blackthorn was a buoy tender based out of Galveston, Texas, in the late 70’s. Her main job was the management and maintenance of directional devices (signs, beacons, & buoys) along the Galveston Bay and Houston Ship Channel. This kind of job is not really one we think of when it comes to heroic service, and yet it is extremely vital to the safety of our waterways. Without such maintenance, vessels would be in danger of running aground, colliding with one another, or heading in the wrong direction. The Cutter Blackthorn may not have been the most beautiful, but her job was indeed necessary. She had been born during the fires of World War II, christened in 1943. She had worked all over the United States, from breaking ice on the Great Lakes to cruising along the coast of Southern California. She then found herself in Galveston, Texas, before needing to head to drydock in Tampa, Florida, in 1979. This is where her story turns from the mundane to the tragic.
On the night of 28 January 1980, the Blackthorn was outward bound from Tampa Bay on her way home to Galveston after completing her overhaul at drydock. Meanwhile, the tanker Capricorn was traveling into the bay. The Blackthorn’s captain had departed the ship’s bridge to investigate a problem with the newly installed propulsion shaft. A newly appointed Ensign was at the controls. Capricorn began to turn left, but this course would not allow Capricorn and Blackthorn to pass port-to-port, as the rules of navigation generally required. Capricorn’s pilot blew two short whistle blasts to have the ships pass starboard-to-starboard. With the Blackthorn’s officer of the deck (the Ensign) confused in regard to the standard operating procedure and rules of navigation, Blackthorn’s captain (who had returned to the bridge) issued orders for evasive action. Despite the Blackthorn’s evasive action, a collision occurred. Damage to the Blackthorn from the initial impact was not extensive. However, Capricorn’s anchor was ready to be let go. The anchor became embedded in the Blackthorn’s hull and ripped open the port side above the water line. Then, as the two ships backed away from each other, the chain became taut. The force of the much larger ship pulling on it caused Blackthorn to tip on her side until she suddenly capsized. Six off-duty personnel who had mustered when they heard the collision alarm were trapped inside the ship. Several crew members who had just reported aboard tried to escape and, in the process, trapped themselves in the engine room. Although 27 crewmen survived the collision, 23 perished. It became the single greatest loss of life for the U.S. Coast Guard during peacetime.
During the disaster, one Seaman Apprentice William “Billy” Flores rose to the occasion. SA Flores, who had been out of boot camp just one year, opened the life jacket locker as Blackthorn capsized, securing its hatch open with his belt, and made sure that his shipmates were able to access and use the life jackets. His actions saved a number of lives during the accident at the cost of his own. In October 2010, it was announced that the third new Sentinel-class fast response cutter, a 154foot patrol boat, would be named for Flores.
