The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson man the ship and bring her to life during the commissioning ceremony at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, June 11, 2020. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Officer Trainee Marissa Skidmore)
HOUSTON — The Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson, the service’s 37th fast response cutter, at Coast Guard Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, Thursday.
Rear Adm. John Nadeau, Eighth Coast Guard District commander, presided over the ceremony, along with Lt. Katie Shveda, Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson commanding officer.
Edgar Culbertson, the cutter’s namesake, was a Coast Guard petty officer 1st class and Coast Guard Medal recipient who died April 30, 1967, while attempting the rescue of three brothers during a storm in Duluth, Minnesota.
Culbertson and two other Coast Guardsmen, Petty Officer 3rd Class Richard Callahan and Fireman Ronald Prei, volunteered to attempt the rescue. After arriving at the pier they tethered themselves together and searched the pier with lanterns in an attempt to locate the missing Halverson brothers. As the heroes searched for the boys, a large wave crashed over the wall, knocking Culberston over the side.
Culbertson was a 31-year-old native of Ferndale, Michigan, a veteran of the Korean War and had served in the Coast Guard since 1952.
The Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson’s patrol area will encompass 900 miles of coastline for the Coast Guard’s Eighth District, from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas. Fast response cutters are named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes and will replace the service’s 110-foot patrol boats. These vessels feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment.
For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook. For recent photographs and videos, follow us on Flickr.
