Retired Coast Guard Capt. Bob Desh, chairman of the Sturgeon Bay Coast Guard Committee, addresses an audience at the dedication ceremony for the Coast Guard's last operational 41-foot utility boat, Aug. 4, 2015. The vessel, which was retired last summer after having spent most of its service on Lake Michigan, was dedicated during a ceremony at the Door County Maritime Museum during the Sturgeon Bay Maritime Festival. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Tom Morrell, USCG The last operational Coast Guard 41-foot patrol boat rests at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Wis, Aug. 4, 2015. The vessel, which was retired last summer after having spent most of its service on the Great Lakes, was dedicated during a ceremony at the Museum during the Sturgeon Bay Maritime Festival. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Thomas Morrell)
STURGEON BAY, Wis. — Representatives from the Coast Guard, the city of Sturgeon Bay and the Door County Maritime Museum dedicated the Coast Guard’s last operational 41-foot utility boat, Tuesday, during the Sturgeon Bay Maritime Festival.
The dedication ceremony, held at the Door County Maritime Museum, was attended by Thad Birmingham, mayor of Sturgeon Bay; Capt. Amy Cocanour, commander of Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, and Capt. John Little, chief of staff of the Ninth Coast Guard District, as well as numerous local Coast Guard units.
The vessel, CG-41410, was the last operational 41-foot Utility Boat in the Coast Guard and was officially retired last summer at the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan. It has been one of the most able smallboats in Coast Guard history, serving as the general workhorse at multi-mission stations for forty-one years. This particular vessel spent nearly all of its service on Lake Michigan, including two tours in Sturgeon Bay. It will now be on permanent display at the museum and will serve as a lasting tribute to Coast Guard men and women everywhere.
"We are thrilled that Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin's Coast Guard City, made this display possible and honors the service provided by members of the Coast Guard," said Cocanour. "I hope another young person may be inspired to join the Coast Guard, just as I was when I visited Station Plum Island more than 28 years ago."
The Sturgeon Bay Maritime Festival includes many long-standing annual waterfront events that focus on the city’s maritime history. In addition, the festival honors the area’s local Coast Guard personnel, past and present, for their contributions to the community. The Maritime Festival events included a Coast Guard Spouses’ breakfast, Coast Guard Person of the Year award dinner, a “Salute to the Coast Guard” golf outing, and culminated with the dedication ceremony of the CG-41410 exhibit.