John F. McCormick was a sailor in the United States Coast Guard who was recognized for his courage.[1][2][3][4] McCormick was born in Portland, Oregon, and served much of his 26 year Coast Guard career in Oregon. After his 1947 retirement, he made his home in Garibaldi, Oregon; he lived there for another 39 years.
John F. McCormick | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 12, 1901 |
| Died | April 2, 1986 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | sailor |
| Known for | his heroism was recognized by naming a USCG cutter after him |
Coast Guard career
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McCormick enlisted in 1921, and spent most of his career as a non-commissioned petty officer.[1] Late in his career he was promoted to the ranks of commissioned officers, and retired as a Lieutenant, in 1947.
In 1938 McCormick was the coxswain in charge of the motor lifeboat USCGC Triumph, at Point Adams Station, at the mouth of the Columbia River.[1] Large rivers, like the Columbia, have dangerous sandbars, where the fast-flowing fresh-water, full of silt, slows where it meets ocean water. In bad weather waves break on the sandbar, representing a serious navigational danger.
On March 26, 1938 McCormick took the Triumph to assist a tug trying to tow logs across the bar.[1] One of McCormick's crew fell overboard, and McCormick, exercising great skill, was able to lead his remaining crew in a rescue that won the admiration of his peers. The rescue earned McCormick the Congressional Gold Lifesaving Medal.
During World War II McCormick commanded Point Adams Station.[1] In 1947 he commanded Coast Guard Station Garibaldi.
Legacy
editMcCormick received the Coast Guard Gold Lifesaving medal.[1][4][5]
In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, who was then the Coast Guard's most senior non-commissioned officer, proposed that all 58 cutters in the Sentinel class should be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or one of its precursor services, who were recognized for their heroism.[6][7][8] In 2014, the Coast Guard announced that the 21st cutter would be named the John F. McCormick[8] although in the event the middle initial was dropped from the ship's name. USCGC John McCormick was built in Lockport, Louisiana, at the Bollinger shipyards, and delivered to the Coast Guard on December 13, 2017.[1][9][10] She was commissioned in Ketchikan, Alaska, the first cutter of her class to transit the Panama Canal, and the first to be commissioned on the west coast.[11]
References
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A.L. “Ole” Olsen Jr. (2017-04-14). "New Coast Guard ship honors Garibaldi hero". Tillamook Headlight Herald. Archived from the original on 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
Born and raised in Portland, he enlisted as a Surfman at the Barview Station in 1921 and served there until 1934. Then after two years at Coos Bay, he was transferred back to Northwest Oregon.
- ^ Beth Verge (2017-04-20). "First USCG Fast Response Cutter west of Mississippi River enters service in Alaska". KTUU. Ketchikan, Alaska. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
The fast response cutters are being named after Coast Guard heroes. FRC John McCormick was named after Boatswain John McCormick, who received a Gold Lifesaving Medal on March 26, 1938, when he rescued Surfman Robert Bracken.
- ^ "Coast Guard selects Astoria for two new cutters". Daily Astorian. 2017-04-28. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
The cutter is named after a former officer-in-charge of the wooden 52-foot motor lifeboat Triumph out of Station Point Adams. McCormick was awarded the Coast Guard's Gold Lifesaving Medal for maneuvering the Triumph against a strong current and into the breakers to pick up a crewman who fell overboard on March 26, 1938.
- ^ a b
Christopher Havern (2014-09-22). "Coast Guard Heroes: John F. McCormick". Coast Guard Compass. Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
McCormick, acting with exceptional skill, maneuvered Triumph against the strong current, into the breakers and picked up the drowning man.
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"This Day in Coast Guard History – March 26". Marine Link. 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
In making the rescue, Triumph was carried broadside on the face of a wave a distance of approximately 50 yards. The masts had been completely submerged, then the boat righted itself.
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Susan Schept (2010-03-22). "Enlisted heroes honored". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
After the passing of several well-known Coast Guard heroes last year, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" Bowen mentioned in his blog that the Coast Guard does not do enough to honor its fallen heroes.
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"U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter". 2010-03-22. Archived from the original on 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 153-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services.
- ^ a b
"FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". Defense Industry Daily. 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
All of these boats will be named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes, who distinguished themselves in USCG or military service. The first 25 have been named, but only 8 have been commissioned...
- ^ "Acquisition Update: Coast Guard Accepts 21st Fast Response Cutter" (Press release). United States Coast Guard. 2016-12-13. Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
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"Bollinger delivers latest Coast Guard cutter". Houma Today. 2016-12-13. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
This vessel is named after McCormick, awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal on Nov. 7, 1938, for his heroic action in rescuing a fellow Coast Guardsman in treacherous conditions where the mouth of the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean in northwest Oregon.
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"Stewards of the Last Frontier". Coast Guard Compass. 2017-04-27. Archived from the original on 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
When one of the crossing boat's barges drifted into the outer break, McCormick and his crew moved in to assist. As he did this, Triumph was hit by one of the river's infamously formidable waves; Triumph's masts were fully submerged. Robert O. Bracken, one of Triumph's surfman, was thrown overboard.