Richard H. Patterson
BornNovember 6, 1931 (1931-11-06)
Florida
DiedApril 12, 2010(2010-04-12) (aged 78)[1]
NationalityAmerican
Other namesRichard "Pat" Patterson
OccupationCoast Guardsman
Known fortaking control of a damaged ship

Richard H. Patterson (November 6, 1931 – April 12, 2010) was a chief petty officer in the United States Coast Guard, decorated for saving the crew of his vessel, USCGC Point Welcome after the skipper and executive officer became casualties during a 1966 friendly fire attack, in Vietnam.[2][3]

Patterson was born in 1931 and grew up in Florida.[4] He enlisted in the Coast Guard as a young man, and by the mid-1960s he was a chief boatswain's mate.

Attack on Point Welcome

U.S. Coast Guard cutter Point Welcome was on a three-day patrol, near Vietnam's demilitarized zone when, in the early morning of August 11, 1966, she was attacked by a United States Air Force Martin B-57 Canberra, in a case of friendly fire.[2][3][4] Standard procedure for small vessels, like Point Welcome, was to run without lights, in areas where enemy vessels might be encountered.

The first strafing run ignited a fuel can on the vessel's fantail, which Patterson extinguished.[2][3][4] The second run hit the bridge, killing the ship's captain, Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) David Brostrom, and Engineman Second Class Jerry Phillips,[5][6][7] two of seven Coast Guardsmen killed in action during the Vietnam War. The ship's executive officer, LTJG Ross Bell was severely wounded and several of the crew injured. Patterson proceeded to the bridge and took control of the cutter, executing a series of evasive maneuvers that prevented the B-57 from hitting her again. As the rudder was damaged he steered by controlling the cutter's two propellers.

When the B-57 abandoned its attack, after running out of ammunition, he proceeded to the nearest base, until more USAF aircraft arrived to continue the attack.[4] Patterson grounded the vessel and ordered the crew to abandon ship, ensuring the wounded had life jackets and were with someone able-bodied.

Patterson was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions.[4]

Legacy

In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, then the Coast Guard's senior non-commissioned officer, proposed that all 58 Sentinel class cutters should be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or its precursors, who were recognised for heroism.[8][9][10] Patterson was to have been the namesake of the seventeenth cutter but it was named after Master Chief Donald H Horsely, who retired with eleven service stripes and the Donald Horsley was commissioned in May 2016.

References

  1. ^ "Patterson, Richard H., BMC". Coast Guard. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  2. ^ a b c "BMC Richard H. Patterson, USCG, 1965". Retrieved 2017-09-15. Even as he was accomplishing this task, he saw the second aircraft attack rip through the pilot house killing the cutter's commanding officer and seriously wounding the executive officer and the helmsman.
  3. ^ a b c "Point Welcome, 1962". Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Douglas Kroll (2014-09-14). A Coast Guardsman's History of the U.S. Coast Guard. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781612518763. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  5. ^ Vietnam Veterans Memorial Virtual Wall – Brostrom
  6. ^ Vietnam Veterans Memorial Virtual Wall – Phillips
  7. ^ Larzelere, p 25
  8. ^ Susan Schept (2010-03-22). "Enlisted heroes honored". United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2013-02-01. After the passing of several well-known Coast Guard heroes last year, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" Bowen mentioned in his blog that the Coast Guard does not do enough to honor its fallen heroes.
  9. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter". 2010-03-22. Archived from the original on 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2013-02-01. Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 154-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services.
  10. ^ "FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class". Defense Industry Daily. 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03. All of these boats will be named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes, who distinguished themselves in USCG or military service. The first 25 have been named, but only 8 have been commissioned...

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