This talk will focus primarily on, but not be limited to, historic shipwrecks that have occurred south and east of Massachusetts. The region has been called the Graveyard of the North Atlantic with over 3,000 wrecks here since European sailors first began exploring the shores of the western Atlantic. Because of the hazards experienced by early coastal and trans-Atlantic shipping while sailing these waters, Massachusetts was the 18th century birthplace of the modern United States Coast Guard. Advances in navigation, weather forecasting, response resources, and vessel technology over the past two centuries may have reduced the risks but have not eliminated them. The presentation will include an overview of shipwrecks, their causes, and the evolution of response resources and programs.

.Greg Ketchen is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain living in Osterville, MA.   He is a volunteer at the Coast Guard Heritage Museum located in Barnstable’s Old Customs House and has served as its president for the past six years.   Before moving to the Cape thirteen years ago, Greg’s career included providing support to Massachusetts’ commercial ports as a development consultant, heading operations at the New England Aquarium, and filling a wide variety of Coast Guard jobs. These included performing duties at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, completing assignments as chief oceanographer for the International Ice Patrol and on the faculty of the Coast Guard Academy, and serving as commander of Coast Guard Group Boston and a NATO station in Italy.   He has completed graduate studies in both Physical Oceanography and Business Administration.  He is a frequent lecturer on a variety of topics related to Coast Guard missions and history. *Image: Boston Light,  America’s 1st Lighthouse 1716)

The Coast Guard Heritage Museum occupies the historic 1856 U.S. Custom House in Barnstable Village on a campus that also includes the oldest surviving wooden jail in the United States (circa 1695) and an operating village blacksmith shop.  The museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating the Coast Guard’s rich history.   

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Thanks to the Ashland Public Library for sharing this program!