The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham, the floating museum ship that typically docks at Truman Waterfront in Key West, is out of town for a few weeks for repairs and maintenance.
Tugboats on Nov. 27 pushed the historic ship from the Truman Waterfront to a boatyard on the west coast of Florida, where she arrived safely a few days later.
The usual weekend happy hours and tours aboard the ship will resume when the ship returns in about three weeks, maybe a little longer, said Bill Verge, a retired Coast Guardsman and former city commissioner who brought the ship to Key West.
Launched in 1936, the ship’s more than 50 years of valiant service made her the only Coast Guard Cutter afloat today to receive two Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy.
She served in World War II and Vietnam and was key in rescuing Cubans involved in the Mariel Boatlift. Because of her rich history, the Ingham has been named “National Memorial to Guardians Killed in Action in World War II and Vietnam.”
Executive Director Mike Charavell has said, “It’s important to support this National Historic Landmark, so the next generations can visit this portrait of the Coast Guard, and U.S. history. Everything that was there when she was decommissioned remains mostly untouched and is a look back in time.”
The Ingham has also been designated as the headquarters of the Conch Republic Navy.
