JANUARY 29, 2026 – Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg crew members held a memorial service honoring the fallen crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn, Wednesday, at the Blackthorn Memorial in St. Petersburg.
The memorial ceremony marked the 46th anniversary of the 23 lives lost during the collision between Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn and the motor vessel Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan. 28, 1980. The ship had a crew complement of 50.
“Today, we honor the memory of the 23 men we lost that day,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Henry J. Audette Jr., Southeast District command master chief. “They were sons, brothers, husbands, fathers and our shipmates. This memorial ceremony allows us to remember the brave men and women who define our legacy and shape the future of our Coast Guard. We will never forget them.”
The Blackthorn collision forever changed the Coast Guard and provided lessons on risk management and training. After this tragedy, the Coast Guard made critical improvements to service readiness, training, and safety.
It provided the impetus for the establishment of the Command and Operations School at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. The school offers courses to prepare command-level officers and senior enlisted members for command duty afloat.
The ceremony included a fly over by Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, wreath laying, an honor platoon representing each Blackthorn victim, laying of roses and presiding official comments from Rear Adm. Adam A. Chamie, commanding officer of Southeast District.
Resources: The Long Blue Line: “No greater love”—Billy Flores, hero of the Cutter Blackthorn
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