Coast guard heritage museum
newsletter
George Washburn - Editor Emeritus,
Jack McGrath – Editor
In this Issue:
Flight Suit Formal
Rescue at Nauset
Find the missing
Aircraft Carrier !
Publisher – CGHM
Winter/Spring 2012
volume number 9
COAST GUARD HERITAGE MUSEUM
3353 MAIN ST. (ROUTE 6A)
P.O. BOX 161
BARNSTABLE, MA 02630
508-362-8521
EMAIL: CGHERITAGE@COMCAST.NET
OUR WEB SITE: WWW.CGHERITAGE.ORG
EDITOR’S NOTES
This is the Winter-Spring 2012 newsletter. As usual it is later
than it should be!! This has been a busy winter at the
museum. We participated in the “Flight suit formal” At Air
Station Cape Cod as well as several other events.
In this issue we have a story from Mike Maynard, a retired
“Coastie”. Mike served around New England for 20 years. He
is also a skilled model maker. Many of the models in the
museum are Mike’s work. If you need a model built or
restored, get in touch with us at the museum and we’ll
connect you with Mike.
We also have an exciting story from Commander Ron
Stenzel, USCG(ret). Ron started his USCG career as an
enlisted man, then went on to become a pilot and officer.
He was stationed at Air Station Salem, MA, which was
replaced in 1970 by Air Station Cape Cod. We hope you
enjoy this issue.
Jack McGrath
editor
Photo Credits:
Pgs 5,6,7 – USCG First District,
PO Connie Terrell
Pg 13: Bill Quinn (l), CGHM (r)
Pg 17: USAF
PG 18: CG Aviation ASSN (top)
US Navy (bottom)
Presidents Report Spring 2012
This is my first report as the new President of the Coast Guard Heritage Museum.
I will have big shoes to fill, taking over from SCPO Bill Collette. Bill put in four
years, building up the museum from its small beginnings to a major collection of
Coast Guard historical items and a resource for those interested in that history.
Bill is still around, working hard to continue to improve the museum. Right now,
you can find him preparing a major exhibit commemorating the 60th anniversary of
the Pendleton/Fort Mercer rescues.
A major step forward for the museum comes with the addition of Jeremy Slavitz as
acting Director on a part time basis. Jeremy is the former curator of the Nantucket
Shipwreck & Life-saving Museum and a principal in the museum consulting firm
Brevara. Jeremy will be working with us to develop outreach programs and new
funding resources. He will also bring hie museum experience in helping us to
improve our visitors experience.
We are also anxiously awaiting action by the Barnstable Community Preservation
Committee on a request from the Town of Barnstable, which owns our building. As
you know if you have visited, the building is beautiful and historic, but badly in
need of preservation & repair. We have spent considerable funds but the work
needed is beyond our means. The Town has taken several steps to move forward,
and we hope the CPC acts favorably on this request. This building is a great home
for us, and we would not like to have to look for a new location.
Thank you for supporting our Coast Guard’s history.
BZ
Jack McGrath
MUSEUM NEWS
BECOME A
MEMBER!
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES & DUES
Individual – $25 Single membership in the CGHM with all
member privileges, including attending annual meeting with no
voting privilege, individual admission to the museum, and a
10% gift shop discount.
Family - $40 Same as individual, but with additional admissions
to the museum for immediate family. One person may attend
annual meeting with no voting privilege.
Supporting Member- $ 100 Unlimited Museum admission &
10% discount. This is for those who want to support museum
but not actively participate .
Sustaining Member - $250 – For those who want to show a
greater level of support for the museum. Unlimited admission
and 10% discount apply.
Guardian: 3 donor levels – Guardians receive all benefits of
membership. The Guardian category includes individual
recognition at the museum. The 3 categories are:
Captain’s circle: $500+
Admiral’s circle: $1,000+
Commandant’s circle $2,500 +
MUSEUM NEWS
NO COFFEE CUPS !?!
Retired Senior Chief MK
Rich Fichter, A new volunteer,
works on a display case being
readied for the 2012 season
Retired Senior Chief MK
Bill Collette, past president,
gets ready to do some serious
painting
MUSEUM NEWS
In November 2011 Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod Commanding Officer
Captain Dave Throop hosted a “Flight Suit Formal” in one of the hangars to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of naval aviation. Various Navy, Marine
and Coast Guard units celebrated the event throughout the year.
The CGHM was asked to participate by providing historical artifacts including
uniforms, flight suits, documents and models. As a Plank owner at ASCC,
your editor was pleased to attend and bring a variety of items to the event.
The honored guest was CDR Stewart R. Graham, USCG helo pilot #2. At the
event, the new hangar being constructed at ASCC to house the new HC-144A
Ocean Sentry aircraft was named the “Stewart R. Graham Hangar” in honor
of the Commander.
Also in attendance were Vice Admiral John Currier, the current “Ancient
Albatross” and SCPO Pete MacDougall, the current enlisted “Ancient
Albatross”. The “Ancients” are the aviation personnel on duty with the
earliest date of entry into aviation.
CGHM display at ASCC
Captain Throop, CDR Graham and VADM Currier
Pete MacDougall and CDR Graham with
HU-16E 7250, being prepared for display.
Commander
Stewart
Graham
CDR Graham with the MH-60T
COAST GUARD HERITAGE MUSEUM
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7
GIFT SHOP
We now have T- Shirts and Polo Shirts in our
Gift Shop. T’s are $15, various sizes in red,
blue, grey. Polo’s are $30, $33 w/ pocket.
Colors include blue, red, grey. Call for
specific availability & shipping. We accept
MC, Visa, Discover.
82 footer polo
T
shirt
GOAT polo
GIFT SHOP
Bill Meininger was a BM1 who
became a pilot. This very funny
book is full of stories about his
career that any Coastie can relate
to.
$21
Members $18.90
$5 shipping
The original book about the
Pendleton rescue. By the man
who was there, Bernie Webber
himself.
$30
Members $27
$5 shipping
For all you lightship sailors,
here is a look at the ships that
protected Cape Cod.
Now $15
Members $13. 50
$5 shipping
A great recounting of the
Pendleton rescue and the
CG36500. Soon to be a
motion picture (we hope)
$15
Members $13.50
$5 shipping
We have many additional titles. Please inquire.
Michael Walling has written a
great tale of the Coast
Guard’s actions escorting
convoys in the North Atlantic
$16
Members $14.40
$5 shipping
A great photo book
by Bill Quinn,
longtime Cape Cod
author &
photographer.
$30
Members $27
$5 shipping
DISPATCHES FROM THE FLEET
Reminiscences of Nauset Life Boat Station
By
Michael J. Maynard
Standing on a small bluff in Eastham, MA, just a few feet from the pounding surf, Nauset
Coast Guard Station was one of the original nine stations built on Cape Cod in 1872 with
federal money. Its history shows the importance of this station located near the evershifting Nauset Bars and the records tell of many terrible wrecks, lives saved and other
thrilling stories of dangers averted by the vigilance of the Nauset crews.
Some of the more famous rescues include: the wreck of the Andrew Adams in 1903, the
wreck of the schooner Livoria, which came ashore in July, 1905, the destruction of the
British three-masted schooner C. M. Cochrane in 1911 and the submarine S-19 in
January 1925. The submarine was stranded on the Nauset Harbor Bars in a thick fog.
When the Nauset crew responded under the command of Captain Walker, they
encountered heavy seas, making maneuvering difficult. During the launching of the surf
boat a hole was stove in the bow, and halfway to the sub the surf boat shipped water and
was thrown on beam ends. The crew clung to the overturned boat in the icy water for an
hour before being washed ashore. The following day Bos’n Walker, in another attempt
with his crew to reach the sub in a different surf boat, barely escaped with his life. In the
mountainous seas he was washed overboard and was rescued by his own men. In the
meantime, the cutters Tampa and Acushnet had arrived and stood by until the sub was
finally released. The crew from Cahoons Hollow Station assisted the Nauset Crew in the
successful attempt to free the stricken sub. Needless to say, the Nauset crew received a
“Well Done” from a grateful Navy Department.
In the summer of 1935 the station was paid a visit by a very distinguished gentleman. It
was during a thunderstorm that Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau and a group
of friends rushed to the station for shelter. Captain George Nickerson, keeper of the
station, (not knowing who they were) offered them a tour of the station. Secretary
Morgenthau took Nickerson aside and made his identity known. Mr. Morgenthau thanked
the Keeper for his gracious hospitality and asked if there was anything he could do for
him. Captain Nickerson, with his quiet manner and dry humor, told his guest of the
inconveniences his boys were subjected to by the lack of modern accommodations. The
Secretary told him he’d see what he could do and when they left the Captain figured that
would be the last they’d hear from him. However, two weeks later the district engineers
came down and started to survey the land. On January 9, 1937, the new station was
opened. Talk about cutting red tape!
The following Story gives us a good idea what station life was like back in the days prior
to the Second World War. It was told to me by retired BM1 (L) Joseph Burbine, who, as a
member of the crew, participated in the rescue of the lumber schooner Anna Sophia on
February 9, 1934.
DISPATCHES FROM THE FLEET
“When I got to Nauset Station in 1933, it was a pretty old station. It was a plain White
building made of wood. The first floor had a Mess room, which was also our living room,
a kitchen, the Officer-in-Charge’s room and his office. We also kept our truck and beach
cart in the old boat room. A wooden ladder took you upstairs to the crew quarters and
storeroom. Another ladder led up to the look-out. The head was in a room off the hall on
the first floor where we stowed our foul weather gear. We didn’t have any electricity in
that station and it was one of my jobs to fill and trim the kerosene lamps each day. We
didn’t have any central heating, only a pot-bellied stove in the mess room and another in
the Keeper’s room. The crew’s quarters were heated by letting the air pass through a
register in the floor. A lot of times in the cold weather we slept with our clothes on. We
didn’t seem to have nearly as many colds then as nowadays. I guess it seems crude
compared to what you fellas have today but nobody really minded. It was just part of the
job. We had a boathouse not too far from the station. In it we kept our two 26-foot
Monomoy surfboats. We also had a dory which we could use for close inshore work. The
drill beach cart was kept in the boathouse too. The one with the rubber tires was kept at
the station. Although I was in for 25 years, the Anna Sophia was the only big job I was on
using a pulling boat.”
“The Anna Sophia was a schooner about 100 feet or so in length. It was owned by a
fellow named Frank Long of New York. She was bound from New York City to Lubec,
Maine with a load of lumber. She was caught in a storm off Truro and began to ice up.
Even though she still had her sails, she couldn’t make any headway and early on the
morning of the 9th she dropped her anchor about a mile off the beach from Nauset. The
man on the last patrol, I think it was Jules Serpa, noticed the schooner sitting off shore
riding out the storm and notified Captain Nickerson of the situation. She showed no
signs of being in distress, so Captain Nickerson waited for daylight. About 9:00 Am the
Captain decided to put out to the schooner even though she still showed no sign of
being in trouble. We went down to the boathouse and since I was the first one there I got
to drive the tractor. No one was billeted to drive it, but me and Ralph Ormsby, the number
6 man, always bickered over who would be the driver. I hitched the surfboat’s trailer and
started down the beach to the cut in the dunes where we usually launched from. The rest
of the crew followed me at an even pace; the Fordson wasn’t the fastest thing going. We
all had on our warmest clothes, the temperature being 2 degrees above zero. It was so
cold that I remember a ridge of ice about 2 feet high had formed along the beach from the
surf spray. Captain Nickerson instructed two of us to chop a clearing in the ice rather
than try to push the boat over it and stove a hole in the bottom. The tide was high and we
made our launch without incident. The seas that day were choppy. I recall that a sort of
slush ice was on the surface near the shore, keeping the seas from breaking on the
beach. It took us about an hour to row out to the schooner. The spray from the water
froze my gloves and kept stinging my face. As cold as it was though, I remember
sweating under my oilskins. We hailed the ship as we pulled alongside her. The crew
seemed glad to see us. They told us their destination and how they encountered heavy
seas off Peaked Hill Bars, losing some of their cargo and one of the fellow’s dog. The
skipper, whose name was Beal, said they couldn’t make any headway because they had
no auxiliary engine and their rigging became so iced they couldn’t maneuver. We took
the five of them off, plus their remaining dog, and Captain Nickerson told them to keep
low in the boat and not to talk. I guess there were only a few inches of gunwale above the
water, and every now and then we’d take on a little water and the schooner’s crew would
bail it.
DISPATCHES FROM THE FLEET
When we got near the shore, Captain Nickerson took us in bow first. He was one of the
best boat handlers on the Cape. You never worried about anything when he was on the
sweep-oar. I remember one time in a drill he brought us in on a wave and almost put us
on our boat trailer. He’d just have us sit off the beach until he saw the right wave. When
the time was right he’d give us the command “Give way together” and we’d land right up
on the beach. On that particular day we stood off the shore for awhile. Some folks on the
beach said “why don’t they come in?” It was just that Captain Nickerson was waiting for
the right sea. There was a time when we almost broached when the crew of the Sophia
stood up before the bow man could jump out and hold the surfboat steady. Everyone
was glad to reach land as it had been a long and tiresome pull.
The cutter Dix towed the Anna Sophia into Provincetown the next day. We stowed all our
gear, Ralph Ormsby got to drive the tractor back to the boathouse, the crew of the Anna
Sophia shook our hands and I went back to the station and had a cup of coffee. It had
been a long day, and yet a good day.”
Mike Maynard is retired from the Coast Guard.
He is a historian and keeper of Coast Guard lore.
He is also an amazing model maker. If you visit
the museum you see many examples of his talent.
He is also an honorary member of the museum’s
Board of Directors.
Old Nauset Station and new one built after Secretary Morgenthau visit
Who can't find an aircraft carrier?
I had seen every John Wayne movie about WWII, and all the naval movies plus
newsreels and stories about air battles and aircraft. In every one that showed an
aircraft carrier there was always a big wake streaming from the stern with the bubbling,
turbulent water that could be seen for miles.
That isn't necessarily real life. Let me tell you about my experience some 140
mile east of Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
It was a typical night at USCG Air Station Salem, Massachusetts located about
15 miles NNE of Boston. It was Sunday July 11, 1965 and I was the duty helicopter
pilot for our stalwart HH-52's.
We received a call from the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) that evening
about an Air Force EC-121H who was on a radar barrier patrol over the Atlantic Ocean,
was having difficulties, and was going to ditch about 140 miles east of Cape Cod.
Reports were of one engine feathered (stopped) and another engine on fire for
the C-121. They had four engines.
Off we went in HH-52 #1359 to refuel and stage out of Otis AFB. Myself, the
copilot (whose name I cannot remember) and one crewman. We made it to Otis
without incident, refueled and were ready to go help our fellow airmen in distress. The
fact that it was very dark and visibility on scene was being measured in feet instead of
portions of a mile was no deterrent. Somebody needed help.
No matter how I tried, the duty controller at RCC wasn't letting us go. So I sent
the copilot and crewman off to sleep while I stayed at Otis Operations. I probably slept
a little on one of those hard bottom plastic and aluminum chairs that are so famous in
such military posts, but it couldn't have been much sleep.
Of course there was that little matter of fuel. With the normal range of the HH-52
being 125 miles plus 20 minutes hovering before returning to land it was obvious we
would have to refuel on board some Navy ship. Venturing 140 miles over open water
in our single engine helo using dead reckoning (DR) with no covering air support was
not a problem to us. Heck, we were Coasties and could do most anything to help
someone else.
Fortunately there were NATO maneuvers being conducted in the area of the
reported crash with a large number of US Navy as well as German and other vessels
scattered around. Included in the fleet was the aircraft carrier USS Wasp.
Finally, we were cleared by RCC and departed early on July 12 with a full load of fuel,
a list of radio frequencies and almost zero/zero visibility in fog at the destination. We
arrived in the area with the ceiling and visibility unchanged. No wind, no visibility – just
fog.
The Navy cruiser with whom we contacted inbound were very professional. They
had us on radar and vectored us toward a relatively clear area in the fleet to make our
self contained IFR (Instrument Flight Rules – meaning we couldn't see anything)
approach to a hover over the water. Except at the 50 feet hover we still couldn't see
the ocean. After a gentle, hovering IFR decent we were near enough to see the
ocean, went visual and started our search.
After awhile we found one of the crewman floating in the water inside his fully
inflated survival suit. He looked fine, but unfortunately did not survive the crash.
We contacted the cruiser to advise them of our finding, and asked them to send a
boat. While hovering near the person our crewman suddenly blurts out with great
emphasis and increased volume "There's a big ship backing down on us!"
I swung the helo around 90 degrees, and sure enough this big cruiser is
appearing from the fog, stern first, backing down on us. We could only see part way
along the hull because of the thick fog, and it was indeed an intimidating sight. We
eased away from the Cruiser and they picked up the body with one of their boats.
After continuing the search as long as we could, and with no further results, it
was time to acquire some much needed fuel. So we made an IFR climb out from the
fog and contacted the air controller folks on the USS Wasp.
They vectored us around and we started our CCA (carrier controlled approach) to
the Wasp. This should be no sweat, I thought. Just get in close and pick up the wake
of the big ship. I'd seen it dozens of times in the movies.
Unfortunately, this was no movie, and there was no scripted ending. The CCA
folks brought us in to one-quarter mile and advised they had lost us in the radar sea
return. Still looking for the ship's wake I cautiously eased us in, and went down to
about 25 feet where I could see the water – and, hopefully, the ship's wake. Closer
and closer I was edging in, looking for the wake and/or the ship.
How can you not see an aircraft carrier, or at least its wake, when only a few
hundred feet away? Nothing but grey fog, and no grey ship or white frothy wake.
I kept going until I became uncomfortable and decided it was time for a wave off. So,
back on instruments and just as I made the climbing left turn I see this little bitty wake
about the size an 18 foot row boat would make. That was the Wasp???
What the heck happened to the big white wake? I guess since they were tooling
around in near zero conditions they didn't need much speed. They weren't going
anywhere, and no movies were being shot, but we sure could have used the wake as
an approach tool.
So another approach is started. Same thing again. Except this time we need to
find the ship and get some fuel. Returning to the mainland was absolutely out of the
question. The CCA folks once again brought us in close and as we dropped down to
be visual with the water we edged closer and closer to where we thought the USS
Wasp should be.
Same as before. Trying to stay visual with the foggy water, and yet inch in closer
to the Wasp. Too fast, and we would literally run into the ship and crash. That is how
little visibility we had.
Suddenly there was this massive, grey piece of steel that popped out a very short
distance in front of us. It was huge! Very, very big piece of grey steel. The Wasp – or
at least its stern that towered many stories tall above us, and not far in front of us!
Thank goodness it was going the same way we were going.
I eased to the port side of the ship, added power and climbed the several stories
to deck level where we were cleared to land. This time it was just like the movies. The
PA system told us where to land. We shut down, and their crew started the refueling
while the copilot and I went with the delegation that met us.
Basically they were nice guys who said hello, and gave all of us a USS Wasp
honorary crewmember certificate. Then we climbed back in our trusty HH52 #1359,
and the PA system told us to start the engines, which we did. After the blades were
turning, the booming PA system voice, which could be heard through the helmet and
our aircraft rotor noise, telling us we were cleared for takeoff. No radios – just the giant
bull horn. Again, just like the movies. So, off we went with a full fuel load. We
continued searching as long as fuel allowed, and then went back to Otis AFB and
finally home to Salem.
Oh, by the way – when we landed on the USS Wasp there was a Navy H-3
helicopter sitting at the ready, but all tied down. We were out there in our little HH-52
with one engine 140 miles from the mainland doing the searching while the big boys
were already on scene, had two engines in their helicopter, but were in their bunks.
Interesting.
Reports indicated ten men were rescued and eight bodies recovered after the fog
lifted later that morning.
Ronald Stenzel, Commander, USCG (ret)
Coast Guard Aviator 764
(ed. Note: Ron Stenzel began his CG career as an enlisted man, before becoming an officer & pilot)
Note from Wikipedia about USS Wasp:
"The carrier remained in port until 8 February 1965, and sailed for fleet exercises in the
Caribbean. During the summer, the ship conducted search and rescue operations
for an Air Force C-121 plane which had gone down off Nantucket."
HH-52A 1359 at Coast Guard Air Station Salem
USS Wasp CV-18, built at Quincy, MA
COAST GUARD HERITAGE MUSEUM
3353 MAIN STREET (ROUTE 6A)
P. O. BOX 161
BARNSTABLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02630
508-362-8521
WWW.CGHERITAGE.ORG
CGHERITAGE@COMCAST.NET
October 1, 2011
Dear Friend of the CGHM,
Mayday! Mayday!
That’s what people say when they are in danger and need help from the Coast Guard.
Here at the Coast Guard Heritage Museum we are not in distress, but we can surely use your help! We attempt to
grow and expand each year, and we always look for your support to continue to improve.
During 2011, we have added much to the museum. We revamped and expanded our Lighthouse & Lightship
exhibit. We added quite a few items to our Coast Guard at War gallery, especially in the World War II and
Vietnam collections. We have added a completely new exhibit on the Korean War, America’s forgotten war.There
have also been important additions to the Aviation section, including Rescue Swimmer items.
For the first time, we are able to give proper coverage to the Cutters, from the Revenue Cutters to the most
modern Coast Guard ships. The recent de-commissioning of the CGC Chase allowed us to acquire several
important artifacts, including the “Ribbon Board” that was on the bridge.
If you have visited in 2011, you have seen that we were finally able to expand our gift & book shop. Lots of good
Coast Guard stuff in the shop!
We are a 501 (c)(3) non-profit educational foundation. All gifts are tax-deductible according to IRS regulations.
We work closely with the USCG on preserving history, but receive no financial support from the Coast Guard or
any other government agency. We depend on our membership dues, admission fees, gift shop receipts and the
generous donations of friends of the Coast Guard Heritage Museum. We hope that we can count on you to
make a contribution, large or small, to our efforts.
By the way, if you live here on the Cape, either full or part time, we are always in need of volunteers to help us tell
the stories, or to help with the many other tasks required to keep our doors open – doors which we would like to
keep open more days and hours than we are able to do at present.
We thank you for your visits, past support and interest in our Heritage.
Please help us to continue to preserve and promote the remarkable legacy
of the Coast Guard and its people.
Most sincerely,
William E. Collette, Senior Chief, USCG (ret)
President
WE ARE A 501 (C) (3) ORGANIZATION AND OUR MISSION IS TO PRESERVE AND SHARE THE STORY OF THE
U. S. COAST GUARD IN THE FORMER U. S. CUSTOM HOUSE IN BARNSTABLE, MASSACHUSETTS.
NW