Judy Nunez

28 January 1980, Blackthorn and Capricorn: Collision in Tampa Bay Judy Nunez

At approximately 2021 e.s.t. 28 January 1980, United States Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collided with the tanker, Capricorn, resulting in the death of twenty-three servicemen. This accident remains the worst peacetime loss of life in Coast Guard history, and became the catalyst for the creation of the school whose mission is to prevent this from ever happening again. But before the Command and Operations School at the Coast Guard Academy ever accepted its first student, a lot of soul searching had to take place and tough questions had to be answered by both the agency that patrolled the sea and the men who navigated it. What happened? Why did it happen? Could it have been avoided? For some, these questions still linger.