NEW HAVEN, Connecticut – Members of Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound gathered Tuesday to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the collision of Coast Guard Cutter Eastwind with the motor tanker Gulfstream.
In the early morning hours of January 19, 1949, 13 Coast Guardsmen died after the icebreaker Eastwind collided with the tanker in the frigid waters of New Jersey.
Among the deceased was New Haven native, Engineman 3rd Class Robert Emmett Connors. Connors, who was 19 years old, died while valiantly trying to save a friend.
Records of the incident indicate that Connors himself was safe at one point but went back into the billowing smoke and twisted steel of the cutter’s midsection. Testimony reports that his body was recovered 15 feet from his friend.
Connors’ deed went largely unnoticed. He received no medal or citation until the dedication of the Connors Maintenance Building, located at Sector Long Island Sound, on September 15, 1972. The building today serves as the maintenance center for Coast Guard Station New Haven and Aids to Navigation Team Long Island Sound where a plaque is posted in his honor.
Capt. Ed Cubanski, Sector Commander, and Chief Petty Officer Kevin Wyman, Officer in Charge of Station New Haven, gathered at the plaque to celebrate Connors’ life and contribution.
Ms. Angela McKeon, Connor’s high school sweetheart, was also present and commemorates his death annually. McKeon presented a bouquet of flowers to Chief Petty Officer Wyman, whose boat crews set them adrift along Connors’ home shores of New Haven in memory of his life and death.
“The sacrifice and gallantry of our forebears is forward in the public’s mind right now, with the release of the movie ‘The Finest Hours’,” said Cubanski. “There are so many brave men and women in Coast Guard history who deserve equal remembrance. We are honored to celebrate the bravery of Bob Connors and to work daily in a building of a Coast Guard hero that bears his name. His legacy of self-sacrifice for the lives of others will always be remembered.”
Connors graduated from East Haven High School in 1947 and entered the Coast Guard shortly after. He attended the Coast Guard’s Engineman School in Groton, Connecticut before being assigned to the Eastwind.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you would like additional information, contact LTJG Marty Betts at 203-468-4432.