USCG New Cutter Named After Hero, NFL Great by U.S.
Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir
October 18, 2021
The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the USCGC
Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145), Patrol Forces Southwest Asia's fourth
154-foot Sentinel-class cutter, into service at Penn's Landing in
Philadelphia on October 15, 2021.
The crew of the USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) renders a hand salute during the commissioning of the Tunnell in Philadelphia on October 15, 2021. The Tunnell is the Coast Guard’s 45th Sentinel-class fast response cutter. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Breanna Centeno)
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Adm. Karl Schultz, the commandant of
the U.S. Coast Guard, presided over the ceremony. Ms. Yvonne Gilmore
Jordan, the eldest first cousin to Tunnell, is the ship's sponsor.
"We are so thankful to the Coast Guard for this incredible
honor. I can't internalize the perils Emlen, and his shipmates
endured. Emlen didn't want anyone calling him a hero, but the Coast
Guard said yes, he is. As a relative, it is a privilege to be a
participant in this commissioning as the Coast Guard Cutter Emlen
Tunnell is placed into service," said Jordan.
The cutter's
namesake is Steward's Mate 1st Class Emlen Tunnell, a native of Bryn
Mawr, Pennsylvania, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1943 to
1946. During this time, he rescued two shipmates. The first was
aboard the USS Etamin at anchor in Papua New Guinea in 1944. When a
crewman became engulfed in flame following a Japanese torpedo
attack, he beat out the fire, sustaining burns, and carried him to
safety.
The second rescue came aboard the USCGC Tampa in
1946 when a shipmate fell overboard off Newfoundland. Tunnell risked
the 32-degree Fahrenheit water suffering shock and exposure to save
him. The U.S. Coast Guard awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal to
Tunnell posthumously for his heroism.
"What really defined
Emlen was his character, that selflessness. It was who he was as a
human being," said Schultz. "When this cutter sailed unexpectedly to
avoid tropical storm Elsa, Coast Guardsmen who are going to shape
the future chapters of the Emlen Tunnell story stepped to the plate,
as Emlen did years ago. Maybe not with as many heroics, but they did
what Coasties do. They jumped into the breach."
Tunnell was
also a lauded athlete beginning in high school and then college
before he joined the Service. While in the Coast Guard, he played
football and basketball, and upon his departure, he resumed college.
Tunnell went on to play professional football for the New York
Giants and the Green Bay Packers. He also served as an assistant
coach for the Giants. Notably, Tunnell is the first African American
to play for the N.Y. Giants, African American talent scout, and
African American full-time assistant coach. He is also the first
African American inducted into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame.
The crew of the USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145)
stands by NFL great Emlen Tunnell’s statue at the Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz, Cmdr. William McKinstry, Master Chief Petty Officer George Williamson, and members of Emlen Tunnell’s extended family in Wayne, PA
on October 14, 2021. The seven-foot-tall bronze statue was created by sculptor Jennifer Frudakis and took a year and a half to produce. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Breanna Centeno)
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The Emlen Tunnell was officially delivered to the U.S. Coast
Guard on July 1 in Key West, Florida. It is the 45th Sentinel-class
fast response cutter. Each of these cutters carries the name of a
U.S. Coast Guard enlisted hero. While the ship commissioned in
Philadelphia, it will homeport in Manama, Bahrain, part of U.S.
Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia. The crew will transit to
homeport alongside their sister ship, the USCGC Glen Harris (WPC
1144), later this year.
Schultz added the Sentinel-class
cutter is a game-changer in a time when the demand for U.S. Coast
Guard services has never been higher. The Tunnell and Glen Harris
will join two Sentinel-class ships already in service in the Arabian
Gulf. Two additional 154-foot cutters will join these in 2022 for a
total of six in service at PATFORSWA.
Established in 2002 in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA played a crucial role
in maritime security and maritime infrastructure protection
operations. PATFORSWA is a maritime humanitarian presence on the
seas, providing U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet with combat-ready assets.
Utilizing the U.S. Coast Guard's unique access to foreign
territorial seas and ports, our crews formulate strong and
independent relationships throughout the Arabian Gulf and leverage
the full spectrum of flexible vessel boarding capabilities at sea
and maritime country engagements onshore.
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