US Coast Guard boss to visit Riverstick Foróige as part of West Cork trip

ONE of the US Coast Guard's most senior officers will this week personally deliver a response to children in Riverstick Foróige Club who sent him a letter in recognition of US victims of the Lusitania.

Captain John Mauger, commanding officer of the US Coast Guard Safety Centre in Arlington, Virginia, is in West Cork this week, to attend a fundraising event for the Irish Community Air Ambulance.

Capt Mauger has been invited to West Cork – where he is also holidaying – by Goleen maritime lawyer Michael Kingston, who will deliver a talk at the event, in the Rochestown Hotel in Cork on Tuesday July 25th.

During his visit, the US Coastguard commander will also visit the National Maritime College in Ringaskiddy, Kinsale Community School to meet the students and unveil the Wall of Fame in their new extension, and pay a visit to the Old Head of Kinsale Signal Tower and Lusitania Memorial Garden.

At the Old Head he will be greeted by the Old Head and Seven Heads Irish Coastguard Unit and the Old Head Signal Tower Committee.

He will later attend a reception in County Hall, along with Dana Eidsness, head of North Atlantic and Arctic markets for the State of Maine, who is also in Cork for the fundraising talk.

‘The talk is about the Lusitania, modern safety at sea and lessons to be learnt from the tragedy,' said Mr Kingston, who says the event is also a great opportunity for West Cork to showcase its potential to the visiting dignatories and other guests.

Ms Eidsness is travelling to Cork on the newly-launched Norwegian flights from the US, highlighting the first scheduled transatlantic routes between North America and Cork Airport.

‘Put simply, the Air Ambulance initiative will save lives and we need to support it, which is why we, as a community, are being supported by the United States Coast Guard in this endeavour,' Mr Kingston added.

The talk will be dedicated by Mr Kingston to the crew of Rescue 116 who were lost on a mission off Blacksod Bay in Co Mayo in March. ‘It is not just about what is raised on the night, it is about voting with our feet to support this initiative, and about showing how much we appreciate our rescue services,' he added.

Earlier in the day, Captain Mauger will deliver in person a letter to the children of Riverstick's Foróige Club in Kinsale, who wrote a heartfelt letter to him, to commemorate the US victims in the Lusitania tragedy in 2015. 

Tickets for the Lusitania talk are on Eventbrite (search Lusitania/Michael T Kingston), and also at Courtyard Crafts in Schull and Crees Cards in Youghal.