The Marine Electric, shipwreck that changed the Coast Guard

The Marine Electric sinking on Feb. 12, 1983. Coast Guard image/artwork by P02 Corrine Zilnicki.

When the clock tolled 12 a.m. on Feb. 12, 1983, the 605’ cargo ship Marine Electric trekked northward 30 miles off Virginia’s Eastern Shore, plowing slowly through the gale-force winds and waves stirred up by a winter storm.

An able-bodied seaman relieved the watch and peered forward, noticing for the first time that the ship’s bow seemed to be riding unusually low in the water. Dense curls of green ocean rushed over the bow, some of them arching 10’ over the deck before crashing back down. The...

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