U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Glen Harris logo.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard will commission the Coast Guard Cutter Glen Harris (WPC 1144), Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia’s third Sentinel-class cutter, into service at Coast Guard Sector Field Office Fort Macon, Friday at 10 a.m. EST.
Adm. Linda Fagan, vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, will preside over the ceremony. Ms. Stacey Howley is the ship’s sponsor.
The cutter’s namesake is Chief Petty Officer Glen Livingston Harris, a native of North Carolina. He acted as a landing craft coxswain during the landing of Tulagi, which took place Aug. 7-9, 1942, during World War II. Along with three other U.S. Coast Guard coxswains, Harris landed the first U.S. Marines on Tulagi and, over the next three days of conflict, made repeated trips under heavy enemy fire to deliver ammunition and other supplies to U.S. forces. In September of the same year, he landed against forces at Taivu Point, Guadalcanal Island, thereby materially contributing to the enemy’s eventual defeat. Harris was awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry by Adm. Chester Nimitz.
The Glen Harris was officially delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard on April 22 in Key West, Florida. It is the 44th Sentinel-class fast response cutter.
