USCG Lightkeeping Traditions Shine Bright
during Lighthouse Challenge
The 2010
Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge, which occurred on June 26 & 27,
offered the public a unique opportunity to not only visit and tour some
of the region’s most popular lighthouses, but also the chance to view
and learn how the United States Coast Guard works today to keep the
lights shining bright.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
The 65-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter
TACKLE, which is homeported in Rockland, Maine
The Coast Guard
cutter TACKLE, a 65-foot harbor tug based in Rockland, Maine, and under the
command of officer-in-charge, BMC Jesse Deery, served as a one-day bonus
site during the event, which was sponsored by the Friends of Rockland
Breakwater Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation.
TACKLE personnel
utilized interpretive exhibits to explain to visitors the different types of
lighted and unlighted aids to navigation the cutter maintains in Penobscot
Bay, including four area lighthouses: Curtis Island, Grindle Point, Eagle
Island and Saddleback Ledge.
In addition, the
public learned about the TACKLE’s important wintertime domestic icebreaking
duties on the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers, as
Photo by Dominic Trapani
Crew of the TACKLE
(left to right) BMC Jesse Deery,
SA Donovan McClean, MK1 D.J. Gentile,
BM3 Tyler Heanssler, SA Stephen Leavitt &
Auxiliarist Bob Trapani, Jr.
(not
pictured - BM1 Keith Nichols,
MK2 Eugene
Peters & SN Drew Pelletier)
well as in local harbors like Camden and
Rockport, while having the chance to tour the cutter’s pilot house,
galley and berthing areas.
With the focus
of the Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge being on the heritage (past
and present) of the region’s historic beacons, TACKLE personnel
complimented the theme by elaborating on how light sources continue to
evolve with advances in 21st century technology.
Personnel conveyed
how lighted aids have progressed from glass prism lenses to acrylic lenses;
and now today, how acrylic lenses with their incandescent light sources, are
beginning to give way to cutting edge light emitting diode (LED) beacons,
which are more efficient and environmentally friendly.
“The Midcoast
Maine Lighthouse Challenge provided the public with a unique opportunity to
learn about how the TACKLE and its crew are part of the modern-day
connection between the Coast Guard and lighthouses,” said Eric Davis,
chairman of the Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.
Davis went on to
note, “Their efforts of maintaining the navigational lights in four
lighthouses along Penobscot Bay compliments the work of various preservation
groups and other entities that have restored, or are in the process of
restoring, the physical structures that contain the lights. The cutter’s
participation in the event also revealed to visitors how Coast Guard crews
like the TACKLE and lighthouse preservationists together make up today’s
lighthouse keepers.”
To learn more
about the Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge, which has just completed its
fourth year and continues to grow as a fun and educational event for the
entire family, visit
or
www.lighthousefoundation.org
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter TACKLE at the
Rockland Public Landing on June 26, 2010 during the Midcoast Maine
Lighthouse Challenge
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
BMC Jesse Deery, officer-in-charge of
USCGC TACKLE, speaks with a visitor about the cutter's responsibilities
MK1 D.J. Gentile (left) and SA Donovan
McClean show a visitor around the galley area of the cutter
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
SA Stephen Leavitt shows visitors around
the deck of the cutter during the lighthouse challenge
SA Donovan McClean stamps the passports
of lighthouse challenge participants
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
BM3 Tyler Heanssler talks with visitors
about the equipment in the cutter's pilothouse
MK1 D.J. Gentile explains to a visitor
how the modern lampchangers work
with incandescent lanterns
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Photo by Dominic Trapani
Auxiliarist Bob Trapani, Jr. speaks with
visitors about today's lighting technology
