Articles of Interest

Every year, Sector St. Petersburg holds a remembrance ceremony to honor the 23 Guardians who lost their lives on Jan. 28, 1980. The annual ceremony in St. Petersburg is held at the Blackthorn Memorial at the northern approach to the Skyway Bridge. Due to scheduling conflicts, the 43rd Remembrance Ceremony was held on January 27, 2023.

Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, delivered introductory remarks and words of remembrance for the lives lost in the tragedy before Vice Adm. Kevin Lunday, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, spoke as the presiding official. Crews from U.S. Coast Guard Sector St Petersburg, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, and Coast Guard Auxiliary participated in the ceremony and memorial observance. Daniel Helou, District Captain-West, Dean Hoskin, Division Commander 7, and Joe Rice-Johnson, Staff Officer-Public Affairs Division 7, attended the ceremony. Helou and Hoskin were interviewed by the press and