ILWACO, Wash. — The Coast Guard honored the crews of the 52-foot motor lifeboat Triumph and the 38-foot fishing vessel Mermaid during a memorial service at Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Saturday.
Five Coast Guard members and the two-man crew of the Mermaid were lost when severe weather sank both vessels, Jan. 12, 1961.
“This means a lot to a lot of us who were stationed here,” said Gordon Huggins of Castle Rock, Wash., Huggins was aboard the Triumph the night of the tragedy and was the only survivor. “Alot of good men have gone across the bar and never come back,” Huggins added. “We want to recognize those who gave it their all.”
Petty Officers 2nd Class Doug Bruene, Justin Finney and Seaman Mitch Miller from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Wash., prepare to cast a wreath and flowers into the water during a memorial service for the crews of the 52-foot motor lifeboat Triumph and the fishing vessel Mermaid, Jan. 12, 2013. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Shawn Eggert
Capt. Bruce Jones addresses visitors to Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Wash., prior to a memorial wreath-laying ceremony, Jan. 12, 2013. Gordon Huggins (standing left) was the only survivor of the tragedy the lives of seven men from the crews of the 52-foot motor lifeboat Triumph and the fishing vessel Mermaid, Jan. 12, 1961. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Shawn Eggert.
