Negligent Navigation: The Tragedy of USCGC Blackthorn 

▶GROUND NEWS: Staying better informed is the key to critical thinking. Get 30% off your subscription at ground.news/brickimmortar Projects this in-depth require much time and support and I wouldn't be able to make these, at this level of quality without such a wonderful, supportive audience. If you want to support Brick Immortar further, you can always come check out the community at www.patreon.com/BrickImmortar. Great group of like minded folks there! YOUR Safety Matters. -Sam

The fact that these videos are over an hour long is always a relief to me. I hate when a super complex disaster is squeezed into a 10 or 20 minute video. Brick Immortar always comprehensively sets the stage and fully explains these situations. So glad see this uploaded.

Watching this from the USCGC Harry Claiborne, Blackthorn's successor. We have one of her liferings hung above our mess deck and a memorial exists at Base Galveston. I like to think todays 175s are safer and our training and culture more advanced, but we will never forget our forefathers.

Brick Immortar showing once again why this genre belongs to him. Fantastic work as usual.

My father is a retired US NAVY Master diver . He worked the salvage operation of the blackthorn . I remember as a kid him telling us all the stories about this accident. My dad also worked the space shuttle explosion and the air Florida crash in Washington DC . He turned 79 this year . I am extremely proud of all his accomplishments.

Try to imagine the kind of person who would, at just 18 years of age, venture into a sinking ship (in the dark) in an effort to save others. I've lived over twice as long as SA Flores and I've never done anything half as brave.

The quick thinking to tie open the life jacket locker shows incredible forethought from that sailor.

You have a way, sir - a certain gravitas, dignity, thoughtfulness and respect when presenting these tragedies. Every time I walk away wiser and immeasurably saddened. Thank you for the hard work that goes into producing them. Rest in Peace Billy Flores.

You know its bad when the coast guard needs the coast guard.

I'll never forget the tragedy of the Blackthorne. I was a Seaman apprentice aboard the USCGC Walnut WLM 252 out of Terminal Island, CA. Our skipper mustered us on the Buoy deck to give us the tragic news and to announce upcoming drills planned to prepare us for the possibility of a similar incident with us. Just a week later I was on midwatch on a stormy night in LA Harbor. There was a fuel barge tended by a tug inbound. The barge was full and running a deep draft. It was early morning and the entire crew of the Walnut was onboard asleep with just myself and the engineer of the watch up to keep an eye on things. The barge's tug lost power in the storm and the wind was driving them towards us adrift without power of steering. I looked out of the galley porthole and it was black when I should've seen the lights of the port. I ran out onto the buoy deck to see the bow of the fuel barge headed straight for the port side of the Walnut on a collision course with us amidships. I sounded general quarters and was able to evacuate the crew. In the meantime the tug had restarted their engine and was backing down at full power. They were able to reverse course intime to avoid colliding with us. The Blackthorne was in the forefront of my mind while this went down.

I'm a trainee navigation officer in the merchant marine and I have to say, these videos are out of the ordinary. They've taught me to be extremely vigilant out at sea and not discount the smallest of things no matter what. Thanks !

I remember an entire class on BLACKTHORN at Coast Guard boot camp. One of the lessons the instructor drilled into our heads was knowing your ship and her egress routes. My first assignment, an old 180 no less, I was taken to one of the lowest compartments on the ship, blindfolded, told to spin a around a few times, and then make my way to the weather deck. It was a struggle to say the least.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mesquite ran aground off the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula while servicing a buoy, which marked the very reef on which she ran aground. You should cover that next! That is also a pretty astounding case.

Having served on a 180 footer myself the Blackthorn was always the scary story told to new sailors about the importance of knowing your General Emergency billet and damage control.

I was a commissioned officer on two of her sister ships, SUNDEW and PLANETREE. Too many close calls in my memory that could have ended the same. It was the nature of our business with our crew assigned. I was on PLANETREE when she grounded in Alaska, Wangle Narrows 1990. Fortunately the crew had just completed USN RefTra in Pearl Harbor and responded professionally, saving the ship. A day does not go by I don’t recall the details of near total loss. Semper Paratus my brothers of the BLACKTHORN, rest in peace.

Another Coastie here. Having those personal items onboard isn't completely out of the ordinary for transits like this. When I was on a WHEC out of Kodiak we sailed down to Seattle to conduct some maintenance and training. Kodiak is pretty small and somewhat remote, so getting stuff shipped to you can take awhile and be pretty expensive. The CO allowed people to take advantage of our time in Seattle to buy items that are cheaper in the lower 48 and store them in our hangar since we didn't have a helo with us for the trip. Couple of folks bought appliances, someone purchased some lumber, another person purchased a new ATV.

Shedding a tear for a young man I've never previously heard of. AS William Flores and his shipmates were badly let down. Terrible that it took such a tragedy to see significant changes. RIP to all who perished on that awful night.

I'm retired in U.S. Navy. We are blue water and they are, what we fondly called them, puddle-jumpers(all due respect). The job of servicing aids-to-navigation, be outs, be lights and light houses is not glamorous but it is the single most important job they do. If it wasn't for them doing this job there would be alot more maritime disasters. Thanks Coast Guard.

Negligence... negligence everywhere

It must have been a terrible time to live in the Tampa Bay area in 1980 with the Skyway Bridge collapse and the loss of the USCGC Blackthorn. Both tragedies should never be forgotten.

Alas, I knew her well. I was stationed at the😅 "Boat House" at CG Base Mobile in the early 70's and the Blackthorn was often tied up at the guest pier next to the small boats. The Blackthorn had a friendly cook/steward and he'd serve up late night suppers and snacks, turning up the heat in the crew's mess, a warm refuge for soaky smallboatmen. Sorta against regulations for him to do that, he'd just laugh and say we're all on the same team, right? Right.

The underwater statue is an awesome way to remember Mr. Flores. It’s a beautiful piece

I always wanted to know where QM2 Crumley was when the USCGC Blackthorn sank. Now I do, he was in the chartroom on the bridge. I was a QM2 on the USCGC Valiant right across the dock in Galveston, Texas. Crumley was planning to get out in a few months, having a family. To this day I miss him! The Valiant was always getting underway, but the Blackthorn rarely did. But that decision to leave at night was not a good one. QM2 Koch '75 - '79 🇺🇸

Very informative video. I am truly amazed at the lack of Seamanship Skills of the Blackthorns bridge team. As a U.S.Navy Sailor for most of my life, I know the lookout reports EVERYTHING they see. This is part of the checks and balances to ensure the OOD is aware of their surroundings.

I was a Coxswain at CG Station Cortez, just a few miles south when this accident occurred. We were out patrolling the following day and many days afterward. Civil Air Patrol spotted one of the deceased crew on a sand bar and my crew and I recovered him. We were on duty on site when the Blackthorn was raised and an office went on board and went from compartment to compartment and discovered the remaining crew members. Thank you so much for this video and all the time, research and effort that went into this. My soul is a bit more relaxed now.

Lieutenant Commander George Sepel was responsible for what happened on his bridge, and on his ship. A Letter of Admonition... I just can't reconcile that with the loss of 23 souls.

That NTSB report is eviscerating, what a sad incident. Excellent video.

I don’t know if I can put into words how much respect I have for putting together these diligent reports on such a regular basis, for free. It’s so rare to find someone I feel like I can trust in media of any kind. The way you consistently operate in the media landscape of today is truly a thing of honor.

You’re no where near as popular as you should be, the algorithm needs to help you out man you’re content is genre defining perfection!

It only takes five minutes of watching to slightly comprehend how much time and energy went into this video. Unbelievable work ethic. Well done sir, you have made another masterpiece.

I was in the Coast Guard when the Blackthorne incident occurred, and in Quartermaster school (which trains QM's for service on the bridge as assistant navigators). After A school, I was assigned to the USCGC Woodrush, which was the same class of buoy tender that the Blackthorne was. When the initiial report came out, I had been serving for about a year on the Woodrush, and the descriptions were eerie to me since the descriptions of the bridge matched what was on the Woodrush, including sighting limitations of the gyroscopic repeaters mentioned in the video. After my service on the Woodrush, I was assigned to the Seventeenth Coast Guard District in Juneau, Alaska. As it happens, after my arrival there, Commander Sepoy was assigned there, though I had little encounters with him, but from those few encounters, I'd say he was a pleasant, nice man who wasn't standoffish towards the enlisted there. I've read some local newspaper accounts written about him after he retired, and of course the Blackthorne has continued to haunt him. He remained in the Coast Guard for eight more years, retiring with the rank of commander (he was promoted once). I've heard that he has received death threats, and many members of Blackthorne crew at the time of the incident and their families continue to be bitter towards him. The video did tell me things I didn't originally know. I thought that the Capricorn master had ordered the release of the anchor to slow his ship down, not that the anchor was released as a result of the Blackthorne's grazing it during the collision. The requirement that Coast Guard deck officers pass a test began while I was on the Woodrush. They were given two tries to pass the test, at which point they would be reassigned. Two deck officers on the Woodrush did fail the test the first time and passed on their second try. I didn't realize that during the formal inquiry that officers were questioned on their expertise on ship stability and rules of the road navigation and came up short in displaying that expertise. In the end, I don't think that Sepoy should have been given jail time for what he did, because it was the Capricorn's anchor that caused so much of the tragedy, one of those “perfect storms.” But I also think that Sepoy should have been forced out of the Coast Guard, instead of serving an additional 8 years. If he wanted his time in service to count towards retirement, he could have gotten a federal civil service job. But he should have been forced to take off his uniform.

The video is riveting. As I watched and listened, it felt like I was there. Your exhaustive research and writing skills are obvious. Your stuff is at the top of my A-list here, and there are some very talented RU-vidrs on that list.

Hands down the best and most detailed explanation of the Blackthorn incident. Thank you so much for making it. Her loss must be studied so it will never happen again. After the Blackthorn incident crews were trained hard and often on collision and abandon ship drills. As a young MK3 on USCGC Bittersweet (WLB 389) in the early 1980's I experienced them first-hand. New engineers were also required to stand "port and starboard" watches (every other night) until they could get out the engine room within 60 seconds while blind-folded, on their hands and knees and not allowed to stand-up, after being spun-around and guided to a spot on the lowest part [of the engine room]. No one enjoyed the drills but we knew their importance so few complained. Those that did were told to "remember the Blackthorn." 180's were very solid boats but we often felt like a squirrel running across a highway when in busy channels. Again, great video.

I rent a room from a former merchant marine at the nj shore. I tell him i listen to these stories and am captivated. The way you research is unbelievable in comparison w most things on the net. Thank you sir for doing such a great in depth job on each incident. Amazing work. And thank you for respecting all involved. Peace and God Bless. Prayers for those lost Coast Guardsmen - most just babies in life. ( i live near cape may where they train).

Great episode! I would love to hear your perspective on the sinking of the MS Estonia on the 28th of september 1994. With 852 souls claimed by the baltic sea, it reamins the worst peace time maritime disaster Europe has seen to this day. There was also alot of controversy and potential coverups involved that would surely make for another captivating episode of yours! Keep it up! Greetings from Hamburg, the other side of the pond!

Thank You. This is so sad. No reason for this to happen. I live in Halifax, and this I do know for a fact that NO ship may enter or exit the Harbor without a Maritime Pilot being onboard. Captains have no say in the matter, and no captain can ever refuse it. If they do refuse it then they will never get out or into the harbor. After the Halifax Harbor Explosion in 1917, it was made sure that it would never happen again.

It feels wrong to be excited for a tragedy breakdown

These videos are so detailed and very professional in its presentation. They should be "required viewing" as training for all mariners. Thank you for your time and effort in sharing.

And not too long after this incident you had the collapse of the Skyway Bridge where a Greyhound bus and several cars and trucks dropped into Tampa Bay killing about 35 people. And I remember that tragic incident very vividly.

As Former Coast Guard, I am embarrassed of this crews behavior. Very sad to see such a large loss of life. 😢 Luckily, when I was in during the first decade of the 2000’s, things seemed much more competent. I enjoyed my time in and still miss it.

I’d just like to say that your channel is one of the most informative that I’ve found on you tube. Thank you for your great attention to detail when retelling these tragic events. You do so without biased commentary, stating the important facts so viewers can gain an accurate picture of what actually happened on these fateful journeys. Most often I find my heart racing and/or my breathing affected because I feel I am placed right there with these people as you narrate the tragedy unfolding. To me, this is not an easy feat. It’s also a testament to the amount of time, research, & diligence you put into the retelling of these tragic events. Finally, I admire how you narrate with much respect shown to the victims, (including the ones who have been found to be at fault) regardless of how long it’s been since these events took place. Bravo, sir. Your videos are well worth the wait. 👍🏻👍🏻🫶🏻 Rip to all the ones who lost their lives in this horrific event.🕊️

I’m a native of Clearwater & was 19 when the Blackthorn tragedy happened. The striking & collapse of the southbound span of the Skyway & the Blackthorn incident were so close in time, it gave that channel a kind of notoriety. Every time I visit Mullet Key aka Ft. DeSoto Park & look out to that channel I can’t help but think of what happened out there. People don’t take open water seriously enough… I’m thankful we have the USCG.

Thank you for paying the ultimate sacrifice to save lives, Flores. Your bravery will not be forgotten by me nor others. *YOUR SAFETY MATTERS!*

Everytime I watch one of these breakdowns, I cannot help but be impressed by the unparalleled research, decorum, and heart put into them. I appreciate all the work that you do.

I am so glad that I came across this video. In the summer of 1983, I joined my first operational Coast Guard unit, the USCGC Cape Fox that was undergoing a major retrofit in the same yard that Blackthorn underwent its work. When it was time for us to get underway after we had spent a week or so undergoing recertifcation to return to service and did some safety and other drills in Tampa Bay, when we we were leaving Tampa Bay bound for the Fox's homeport of Key West, as we reached the point where the Blackthorn went down, we did an all crewmember muster on our foredeck, rendering a salute to the crew members of the ship. It was about the same time in the evening that the Blackthorn went down that we did this all hands salute. I now live in Central Florida. I periodically visit the Blackthorn memorial in the park alongside the Sunshine Skyway. I often think of the sinking of the Blackthorn and the loss of many of her crew members. I never knew the nuts and bolts details of this incident. I am glad that I am now fully informed about it thanks to this video. Man, as we said in the service, this whole situation was one major "Cluster Fuck," that mostly was the result of the actions and inactions of the command members of this ship. Thank God the service took action to resolve the lax training and other factors that led to this tragedy.

Those old 180 footers were a great class of vessels. Sturdy little buggers that could handle Lake Superior at some of her worst.

I'll say it again: you have an amazing talent to make an hour plus video be engaging for the entire duration. I always have to put off watching your new videos until I have the time, and yet when I start, I don't even notice the time go by. It just stays excellent. This one was a special one for me. I've been a Coast Guard brat my whole life, and my dad was stationed on Bramble and Iris at times in his career. He was actually on Neah Bay when the Mesquite ran aground in 1989. We also made it aboard Sundew last winter on vacation. I've been around and exposed to USCG cutters for my whole life, and it's always a fun experience. Incidents like this are just heartbreaking, especially when I hear how much of the culpability landed on Blackthorn's crew. Hearing about the repeated failures of Blackthorn to answer the radio speaks to me quite a bit (no pun intended), as I work in transportation, and I frequently have to contend with being unable to reach people on the radio who need to be reachable. All in all, just a miserable event that could have been prevented in so many ways. One thing you didn't mention is the hazard of the phone talker cables. At that time, the phone talker headsets would be plugged into a port on the ship itself. When the ship rolled, some of the phone talker seamen became either entangled or tethered by the cables to their headsets, and were momentarily unable to escape (I am not 100% certain if this directly led to any casualties, but I do know it was a threat). One of the changes made by the Coast Guard soon after was getting rid of the wired headsets and switching to either wireless headsets or ship-mounted communication (not sure what the replacement technology was at the time).

Superbly written and narrated, and so touchingly concluded. May the heroes of that tragic night rest in eternal peace.

I was on an USCGC Bouy Tender from 2009-2013, we strapped cars on our decks too. Never personal vehicles but official USCG vehicles.

Thank you for you detailed account of this tragedy. I served 4 years in the USCG....2.5 aboard 327 Cutter CAMPBELL (built 1936) on International Weather Patrol (60,000 NM at sea in the N. Atlantic and Labrador Sea) with a 25 years of service Full Captain (4 striper) and 1.5 aboard the steam buoy tender OAK (built 1922) under a 35 year Mustang Lt. Cmdr (2.5 stripes). I can tell you my shipmates and I were well aware of our ship, our duties either on watch or in emergency situations under THESE Commanding Officers.. Indeed, CAMPBELL was involved in the Andrea Doria rescue in July 1956 and I was on duty on the bridge for 17 hours as a Quarterrmaster under "General Quarters!" It was only 1 of four rescues I was involved in, three on CAMPBELL and one on OAK during my time at sea. I am now 86 years old and shaking my head in sadness that in only about 20 years the competence of the officers had so degenerated to create such a tragedy. Definitely NOT My CG!

Excellent work as always; we all truly appreciate your candor, stewardship, and respect toward all involved in these incidents. So many lessons learned from this particular tragedy, and a tough look in the mirror for the Coast Guard at the time. It's not in vain if we learn from it - the only way to truly honor these fallen sailors.

This was eight years after I got out of the Coast Guard where I served on WLB399 Sagebrush in San Juan Puerto Rico. I was only 18 years old when I arrived. Thank goodness we had a great Captain.

Thank you so much for the work that you do, I am a United State Navy veteran. I am so glad that you did this documentary as I had no knowledge of the events that took place on the Cutter Blackthorn. May the Lord bless all the families of the lost sailors and heal the minds of those that survived.

The first I had ever heard of the Blackthorn was while sitting in Coast Guard Boot Camp in 1987. Scared the hell out of me so I wound up at the USCG Yard in Curtis Bay Md. A shipyard as fate would have it. I learned how these cutters were assembled from stem to stern and spent the rest of my tour as an MK on a couple of 378's. This has been an excellent documentary! It is always so refreshing to hear the correct terminology and nomenclature used when speaking of big floaty things.

Just stumbled across your Excellent video here and I must say it really touched me!, to the point of tears. Your thorough research of this unnecessary tragedy is just amazing and sobering. I served 5 years in the USCG form 1974 through 1979 as a Seaman on the tender White Bush out of Astoria Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River CG district 13, and later as a BM2 Boat Coxswain of a 41-footer on YBI Station San Fransisco, CG district 11. It just hurts to think of all the young men that perished in such an unnecessary accident because of all of the lack of proper communication between ships underway. It absolutely hurts. So sorry that all of these young men never got a chance to live out their lives. I'm pushing 70 and still remember those wonderful days in the Guard. Thanks for your very understanding and thorough investigation of what happened here. Hard to watch for an X-Coasty but Necessary. I feel so blessed to still be here with my wife of so many years but so sorry for those not here that should be from the Blackthorn.!! Rest in Pease my Brothers!

I request an episode dedicated to the ships and crew who, seeing disaster unfold, sailed towards it at full steam to offer all the help they could.

Well done, thank you. I was part of the Blackthorn crew after transferring from the Gentian which was decommissioned when the Blackthorn arrived at Base Galveston. I was onboard her for about another 6 months before I was transferred to the Search and Rescue unit at the base and then completed my tour of duty and left the Coast Guard in 1978.

I was wondering what the anchor chain was doing in the intro animation, but as soon as Blackthorn went over suddenly, I knew what had just happened. Seen enough tugs lost in similar ways when their towing cable girds.

That time period in the Coast Guard was a rough time, We were yet to start recovering from the budgetary cuts of the Carter administration. The ship I was on was a Secretary Class Cutter built before WW2. Scrounging, begging, and doing without were the hallmarks of the CG back then. Hell, we were still using flap holsters from WW2 most of the time. We were operating in Florida when the Blackthorn went down, all of us were shocked that it could happen.......just like when the Cutter Cuyahoga was sunk, we had to learn a lot of lesson....sometimes change doesn't happen fast enough. thank God the CG started getting new equipment, ships and a better acceptance to change.

This is the most detailed comprehensive report of this incident that I have ever seen. I was stationed on a Cutter in the early 80s and multiple copies of the NTSB report floated around on my ship for all to read. We were all encouraged to read it. The officers on my ship were very strict and this incident was one of the reasons why. Every Coast Guard officer I have spoken to about this incident views it as a tragedy but also an embarrassment. Semper Paratus!

The Blackthorne being a fairly small vessel and unfamiliar with the traffic situation should have been favoring the starboard side of the shipping channel. This would have allowed overtaking vessels to safely pass as well as allowing inbound traffic to pass port to port. The pilot of Capricorn acted wisely by grounding the tanker and avoiding a possible collision with the bridge.

Genuinely my favorite RU-vid channel and I could not have cared less, at all, about anything related to the maritime industry prior to discovering it. You are the greatest, brick.

Found your channel from Attorney Tom. Glad to see people cover these unfortunately routine and often looked over tragedies.

As someone at USMMA these videos are always so interesting and informative to watch. Thank you for the effort and time you put into these videos

This may genuinely be one of my top fav channels. You are so beyond underrated. This channel is incredible, I love it. Like there's plenty of other maritime & disaster channels... but I truly can't think of any that are better than Brick Immortar. Some are amazing in their own rights and in different ways... but this may just be the best (imo ofc).

Capricorns pilot probably made the prudent choice in not lowering speed which would cause a loss of rudder response at a time when he needed it most.

I have heard of this incident, but I have never viewed such an in-depth coverage of the incident before now. Fantastic work!

I was in the CG in Florida and this case was highlighted in boot camp as more of a memorial. Seems the CG was not as transparent with the multiple failures - This is the most comprehensive video I have ever seen. Great work B n M

I was stationed at Pier 91 Seattle Wash. and assigned to The USCGC Wachusett=W-44 in 1968 and served in Vietnam during Operation Market Time and this video really stuck in my craw to have seen all the incompetence and lack of training aboard the Blackthorn and all the other ships and as a Radarman 3rd Class aboard The Wachusett I considered our Crew as well trained and our Officers and Chiefs on board were outstanding and our CO was Lt. Cmdr. Lucas and was always seen on our Bridge and around the ship and all of us were full of pride and conviction and I cherish all the memories created on that Great Old Cutter. Glad to see the Seaman Flores Memorials and the Reef made by The Blackthorn as was The Wachusett also. It must have taken extreme effort to make this video and I applaud you for taking the task and I subscribed today. Semper Paratus~!

As a Tampa Bay native I applaud you for this video, and the sunshine skyway video previously. The gravitas and pacing you set, along with the detailed timeline ring well to a historian such as myself. Bravo Zulu from a Navy vet.

The coast guard lost another ship of this class in the late 1980’s in Lake Superior. It was picking up buoys prior to the onset of winter and ran aground on the shoal that they had retrieved said buoy from. The crew was unfamiliar with the area as they were covering for another cutter which was being repaired.

Thank you for this most excellent presentation. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on that clear moonlit night: Working the floor in a restaurant when one of the guests received a call and had to leave immediately. It had to do with a ship collision in Tampa Bay. I've lived in the Lower Tampa Bay area for most of my life and have many small craft hours, day & night, navigating through the area of the collision. Never a place nor moment for error. Having gone to Eckerd College, I was one of the early members of the Search & Rescue Team, but this was before EC-SAR had divers who would be engaged in this kind of emergency assistance. There is a Blackthorn monument at a rest area on the causeway leading to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Most people who see it have no idea the tragedy occurred, nor the aftermath.

Probably your best video yet! Truly a new genre indeed! Amazing work. Pictures, transcripts, 3D animation, and even some video along with your more than excellent quality of narration has made for an absolutely great video/documentary. Love your content as always. Keep up the great work! I have a feeling this skill has potential to take you alot further than expected. Ill be eagerly waiting for the next one!

is it me or does it seem like the ship, that one would think, had the most professional crew and led by the most by-the-book officers, Wasn't the US Coast Guard ship that night? this one hurt. I wanna know what the USGC learned from this.

During any Sea and Anchor detail aboard Planetree (sistership to Blackthorn), ALL HANDS were at their stations, no one showering, sleeping or loitering anywhere. Also begging the question of WHY a night departure from an unfamiliar port? Command incompetence.

I just stumbled upon your channel the other day, and I am impressed. You have a unique talent for being able to analyze an incident logically and in great detail, yet in a manner compassionate to the victims. Factual but not clinical. It is obvious you put a staggering amount of research into your vids...not relying on headlines and sound bites. Frankly, that's a very fine and difficult line to tread. There is no sensationalism...just the facts as you find them. You do it better than most, including investigative organizations. As far as I can discern...you present the truth...or as much of it as you can determine, and that's what victims, families and people trying to prevent tragedies, deserve and need more than anything. In addition, I have to give you extra credit for your narration and production. I spent over a decade as a radio announcer and I am very aware of the importance and effectiveness of production values and yours are exceptional. The presentations have a MAYDAY feel to them but better, I think, because it's all you. You're not just reading a script. That does make a difference. Your presentations have been a pleasant surprise. Thank you.

Your videos are always worth the wait. Thanks for all you do Sam.

Tremendous investigative work. As an ex-navy Sailor, I have to say that the USCG Captain got off totally. He takes Charge of and Responsibility for every one of his Crew. Such Arrogance and obvious Ignorance under Training. However there's a considerable amount of Blame to be Heaped on his Superiors and not least the Postings Department. 😮😮😮

Informative video. I see part of the report suggests that crewman may have survived in the engine room for a time after the sinking. Grim .... 😕

The actions of the coast guard captain were pathetic. Did he leave at night so no one would notice what he had on deck? I think so. And to not count martial him, was a way to let him keep his pension. Also pathetic. The rules of the road were taught at coast guard auxiliary and power squadrons courses. What were these guys doing at the academy? Sleeping? And the instructors who passed them, should have been accountable somehow. Basic life jacket drills, radio use, and conditions of the equipment is basic seamanship. Loss of life? Captain definitely should have been court martialed.

As an Vietnam era Coastie I was so so moved with the accuracy of the reenactment of this tragedy. We MUST be VIGILANT at all times when on watch and NOT assume anything. There were so many opportunities for for this tragedy to have been avoided. Thank you for all your wonderful efforts here. RM2 Fred Miller

Rules will be taken to heart if one is shown the blood with which they were written.

The amount of time, research, documentation, and dedication you put into these videos does not go unnoticed. You sir are a legend 🙌 🙏 👏

When this video came up on my suggested videos to watch in YT I had chills run up my spine for reasons I will explain. The C.O. of the Blackthorn has been a close family friend since the mid-1960s as our fathers worked together at Northrop Aircraft. G.J. (Jim) Sepel, The C.O. was as I recall did graduate from the Coast Guard Academy. "Jim" also dated my older sister in the late 60's, can't remember for how long. His parents would come to our house once a week while Jim's much younger brother (Marty) was attending a cadet program for young people at Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. Accidents at sea or in the air can/do/and will point out major problems in a system that has become complacent in it's ways. This is very evident in Aviation accidents as each accident investigated comes with better procedures and training for flight crews and maintenance personnel. Over my 26 years as a Corporate Pilot I have read many NTSB accident reports/final causes and recommendations. I do believe today's technology does make flying easier for flight crews and also safer at the same time. With the mandatory requirement of flight data and cockpit recorders (most commercial aircraft) much is learned from these accidents and changes made to training or new equipment installed make aviation much safer. My guess that much that same type of changes have come to boats/ships at sea. The biggest one I can think of is AIS, had that been around in Jan 1980, this would have saved the lives of many brave sailors of the Blackthorn, RIP Fellow Veterans.

An absolutely OUTSTANDING documentary presentation. This video should be REQUIRE viewing by all students at the USCG Academy.

As a former WLB sailor, I appreciate the video. Keep up the good work!

Every little detail is interesting to me. Especially the way you present it. Please go in to all the maritime weeds!

As a Former Boatswains Mate of the Watch i really appreciate your detail and use of log books . The Training of the Blackthorn should be viewed as insufficient at best and criminal at most . Totally unprofessional Bridge watch .

It is pretty sad that the Coast Guard held itself to a lower standard than the commercial mariners. The conflict of interest in the ensuing investigation is even sadder. I hope the families of the dead sailors were able to find some semblance of peace, knowing that changes were made.

This is the first time I have ever given a donation via the comment section lol. It’s not much, however this video, it’s so well done, I wanted to give a little something to show that I truly appreciate your channel and commend you for producing such excellent videos. Please keep them coming.

I live eight miles from the USCGC Blackthorn Memorial and visit this site often to pay my respect to all that lost their lives and to the people that still suffer. If you wish to visit this memorial it is located on the western side just before the approach of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge heading south to Sarasota, and if you wish to visit the crash site by vessel these are the coordinates; Pinellas #2: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter "Blackthorn"27º - 52.598 N

"i dont know! they wont answer my calls!" "Hi guys!" "Ugh, Hi Dennis"

I totally didn't start tearing up at the Flores segment...

I was stationed at McDill AFB at the time. I remember watching our fire department doing a water recovery on one of the coasties killed on the Blackthorn.

I'm no expert, but when I served in the Navy we never left port at night!

Thanks for this. I was 16 years old and living in my home town of St. Pete when this happened and when the Skyway Bridge disaster occurred, a few months later. It seemed like Tampa Bay was cursed. One detail I remember from the aftermath of the Blackthorn disaster was from when the ship was raised. A reporter commented that the smell of death that escaped from the air pockets in her hull overwhelmed nearby observers. I dove the wreck in the early 80s and it was already teeming with sea life. It's amazing how quickly the ocean claims what was once ours.

some people might call it boring but i find the fact that you cover the findings and recommendations FASCINATING. really sets this channel apart from others - on other channels i feel lucky if they even mention a single bullet point. thank you!

Former WLB sailor here. The remark from the "USCG Aviation veteran" is out of line. The place of honor for the national ensign on a ship is at the gaff, NOT the masthead. This is one instance in which it is correct for the US flag to be physically lower in height than another flag. Brick Immortar, you are correct. The dude was an Airedale, he has enough problems already......

Brick Immortar.. feel free at times to get as deep into the maritime weeds as time constraints will allow.

Excellent presentation. As I was listening to your presentation, I was crossing the Skyway bridge, On the way back I stopped at the Blackthorn memorial and placed my hand on the anchor. I was absolutely astonished to learn of the factors leading up to this tragedy.