The Wrecking Keeper
During a period of devastating hurricanes over the Florida Keys, the Sand Key lighthouse suffered catastrophic damage and was almost lost to the seas. But thanks to the hard work of keeper Joshua Appleby, the lighthouse was rebuilt and fortified and continued to stand as a beacon to ships passing through the Keys. But Appleby lost his battle to hurricanes in 1846 when the Great Havana Hurricane swept him, his daughter and his grandson out to sea. To pay tribute to Appleby, the Coast Guard commissioned the Cutter Joshua Appleby in his honor in 1998. The USCGC Joshua Appleby is a 175 foot Keeper-class cutter that is one of the most technological advanced ships in the Coast Guard fleet. Based out of St Petersburg, this ship is responsible to maintaining over 400 aids to navigation from on the west coast of Florida from Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys. (Photo: August 30, 2021)

Comments
Post a Comment