BOSTON – A ceremony designating the Town of Hull as the nation’s twenty first Coast Guard City was held Thursday at the Hull Lifesaving Museum.
Congress approved the designation for the town’s efforts to acknowledge and support the work of the Coast Guard men and women assigned to their area.
Adm. Linda Fagan, the commander of the First Coast Guard District, presented town leaders with the official title making Hull the fourth New England town to receive such a designation, along with Newburyport, Rockland, Maine, and New London, Conn.
“Hull’s efforts illustrate a longstanding and enduring relationship the members of our Coast Guard family,” said Capt. Claudia Gelzer, commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston. “We are so thankful to have supporters like the town of Hull.”
Town manager Phil Lemnios said the town’s recognition is wonderful and well earned.
“The Coast Guard has always been an important presence in our town and we are proud to support their servicemen and women as they continue Hull’s great tradition of protecting those mariners who ply the waters of Boston Harbor and beyond,” said Lemnios.
Hull has a unique connection to the Coast Guard through the historic Point Allerton Lifesaving Station, now home to the Hull Lifesaving Museum, and generally considered the home of Coast Guard search and rescue. Captain Joshua James, Hull’s celebrated Keeper from 1889 to 1902, has been hailed as the country’s most celebrated lifesaver, credited during his tenure with rescuing 540 lives from shipwrecks off Hull’s shores.
Hull is home to Coast Guard Station Point Allerton and the seasonal Station Scituate, one of the largest search and rescue units in the First Coast Guard District.