SEARCHING FOR THE HISTORY OF FLOTILLA 17
By David Martens, FSO-PA
When is Flotilla 17's birthday? Where might we find a
birth certificate? Auxiliary computer records show Anacortes Flotilla 17 with a
1 January 1958 charter date. Since that would have made 2008 our golden
anniversary year, I was recruited by Andy Rothman, FSO-PB, to try to track down
the milestones of our flotilla's history over the past 50 years. It proved more
difficult than we anticipated since, despite the seemingly detailed records now
kept by the Auxiliary, there was little available to document Flotilla 17's
history.
Unable to locate even the written charter for Flotilla 17, I
turned for help to C. Kay Larson, BC-AHS, who is the Auxiliary's National
Historian.
"I looked up my flotilla listing of charter dates and did not
find one for yours." Kay emailed. But, she added, since the Coast Guard District
lines changed about 1958 with newly computerized files, "... the 1958/59
founding dates are not necessarily that. They are normally the computer
founding date." She also thought that with Anacortes located on the West Coat,
it is possible membership goes back to World War II.
"You need to get hold of the publication Norwester, Annual
Edition, 1945," Larson said. Auxiliary District 13 published this book on the
district's activities during World War II. "Having searched for your location in
my atlas, I looked under the two Bellingham flotillas, 11 & 12. On page 31 of
Flotilla's 12's history, it reads, "A cruise planned for June 16 and 17 took us
to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands where we met with units from Mount
Vernon, Anacortes, and Friday Harbor. So it's not clear here whether "unit"
means separate flotillas, or a subdivision of Bellingham 12."
A copy of the 1945 "Norwester" edition is in the Coast Guard
Museum Northwest collection at Pier 36, Seattle. Andy and I and David McKibben,
FSO-CM, called on CAPT Gene Davis, USGC (retired), curator of the museum. CAPT
Davis gave us nearly two hours of his time browsing through the collection and
is a rich history resource. (We learned, for example, that during World War II
the Coast Guard has its own "cavalry" - mounted units that patrolled beaches in
the Northwest and elsewhere.) He founded the 1945 "Norwester" among the
Museum's extensive collection and, sure enough, there was Anacortes, but listed
as Flotilla 13 rather than 17. Named as officers were Lloyd L. Monroe, FC, and
Fred G. Cartwright, VFC> Meetings were held Thursdays as 1930 in the American
Legion Hall. Although the "Norwester" includes write-ups from a number of
flotillas, there is none for Anacortes. This mention of an Anacortes flotilla
dates to 1945 provides the basis for further study. Editor's Note: Currently
there is no Flotilla 13 in the Thirteenth District. Flotilla 11 is still in
Bellingham and Flotilla 12 is in Edmonds.
Several sources told me that D13 member Barbara Kormos had
written a history book of the district, but my search for that book was
unsuccessful.
The national historian, Kay Larson, also steered me to the
East Carolina University Joyner Library in Greenville, NC, which holds a
collection of historical material about the Auxiliary. She said "...the graduate
students there can do limited research...there may also be scrapbooks
submitted."
This tip sent me to Martha Elmore in Joyner's Special
Collections section. She found "we have some of The (Flotilla 17)
Communicator
newsletters back to 1996 and some of the minutes back to 1993. We have a new online searchable database at
http://media.lib.ecu.edu/spclcoll/coastguard
that only has a small percentage of USCGAUX material included at this point."
There was nothing in the collection to verify the charter date.
However, with the help of John Alexander, FSO-OP, we did
locate a flotilla scrapbook put together perhaps 10 or 15 years ago by retired
member Linda Mellinger. Among the entries are:
January 1968 Flotilla moves from
Anacortes to Oak Harbor. The "Whidbey News-Times" reported, "Members felt that
the prospect of the new city marina in Oak Harbor and the activities of the
Whidbey Deception Pass Boat club in Oak Harbor pointed toward moving the base of
operations of the Whidbey side." Flotilla 17 continued meeting in Oak Harbor, at
least on the alternating schedule, until moving back to Anacortes fulltime in
1985 or 1986.
December 1986 A letter of
Appreciation from T.J. Wojnar, Commander, Thirteenth Coast Guard District to
Donald W. White, flotilla member reads in part: "You are commended for superior
operational performance as a crewmember aboard the ALLEGRO II on April 14, 1986.
The ALLEGRO II, operated by Auxiliarist Marion J. Rowan received a call to
assist the Washington State ferry HAYAK aground off Fidalgo Island. Responding
quickly, the ALLEGRO II came alongside the HAYAK and commenced disembarking
passengers. Sixty frightened passengers with belongings and pets were
disembarked for a safe transfer to shore. You reassured the passengers, calming
them with your professionalism and ability to carry out all required tasks. Your
diligence and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping
with the highest tradition of the United States Coast Guard and the Coast Guard
Auxiliary.
1991 Flotilla 17 recognized for its
part in the Chart Up-Dating Program "for superior performance in providing
information to the charting and geodetic maintenance programs of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey."
November 8, 1994 Flotilla 17 member
Donald White shown appreciation from G.O. Kinney, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard
Group Seattle, writing, "Thank you for your swift assistance in locating
the missing divers on Lopez Island October 30, 1994. You immediately responded
to our Urgent Marine Broadcast and transited to the search area. You were able
to locate the divers in less than 10 minutes after arriving on scene. Even
though a helicopter and utility boat were enroute, without your assistance the
divers would not have been located for quite some time. As an Auxiliarist, you
are and indispensable and active part of our Coast Guard Team Thirteen. Please
accept my heartfelt thanks and pass my personal gratitude on to the crew of
"OCRA V". I greatly appreciate your help and look forward to working with you in
the future."
Several flotilla members urged an interview with Walter and
Dee Gillespie who retired in 2004 following 40 active years in the auxiliary.
Walt was a Qualification Examiner for 18 of those years. After 20 years with
Flotilla 28 in Seattle, they moved to Flotilla 17 for another 20 years.
During a recent visit, they recalled the story of the "Hayak" running aground in
Guemes Channel in 1986:
"As luck would have it, Dee's cousin's husband was the skipper
on the Hayak that day," Walt recalled. "But the mate was at the helm making the
turn into the terminal when he hit a rock. The weather was good, but the little
kids were pretty scared. There were six of us Auxiliarist aboard the Allegro II
(48-feet). Sharon Rowan was pretty nervous herself, but she took those kids down
below and managed to calm them down. We took 25 to 30 people off the Hayak at a
time and made three trips. Marion was recovering from surgery at the time, but
he went anyway."
Bill Boerner, FSO-VE, recalled the Hayak had left Lopez Island
after the crew painted one end of the ship. Wanting to keep the freshly painted
deck dry, the crew tuned the ship around for the trip to Anacortes. For that
reason they swung in close to the day mark at Shannon Point to turn around and
approach the Anacortes terminal the right way for vehicles to unload. That swing
turned out to be too close to shore and the Hayak ran aground.
"On another occasion," Walt reminisced, "John Given got a call
from the Coast Guard during Thanksgiving dinner. A diver had disappeared, so
three of us went out and searched all around Cypress Island 'til dark, but we
never located that diver. He was finally found two years later, tangled in
seaweed."
During most of the time Walt and Dee were in Flotilla 17, the
82-foot U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Point Richmond was based at Cap Sante Boat Haven
in Anacortes.
"We had a close relationship with the active duty side in
those days," Walt recalled. "The commanding officer of the Point Richmond would
often call and invite us along on patrols. On one occasion, when they were going
to Seattle, they invited a bunch of us to go along and basically turned the ship
over to us to run." The Point Richmond was decommissioned in 1996 and all
operations in the area moved to Bellingham.
Although a publication deadline presses for an end to the
report, Flotilla 17's birthday is still uncertain. Members are definitely
entitled to a 50th anniversary celebration. What remains to be determined is how
much farther back the flotilla's past really goes. That is another
story.
Flotilla Commanders
2010 Don Coleman
2009 James Engleson
2008 Ronald Umland
2007 Harry Ota
2006 Harry Ota
2005 Marsh Collins
2004 John Alexander
2003 John Alexander
2002 Jay Saul
2001 John Bermingham
2000 John Bermingham
1999 John Bermingham
1998 Lin Folsom
1997 Lin Folsom
1996 John Slagboom
1995 Mary Krieg
1994 Lisa Lewis
1993 Ted Krieg
1992 Ted Krieg
1991 Russell H. Dean, Jr.
1990 Malcolm E. Hardy
1989 Cameron C. Schulz
1988 Walter Gillespie
1987 Dolores Gillespie
1986 Dolores Gillespie
1985 Marlon Rowan
1968 Earl Pierce
1967 Ray Kyser